NEWS RELEASE
Umatilla National Forest
Umatilla National Forest
72510 Coyote Rd., Pendleton, OR 97801
https://www.fs.usda.gov/
August 13, 2017 - 2:00 p.m.
Umatilla National Forest Lightning Fire Update
PENDLETON, Ore. –
Friday and Saturday night brought thunder/lightning storms to our region, which were accompanied by rain.
Significant lightning activity occurred across the southern end of the forest, with multiple new incidents reported to the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center (BMIDC) and John Day Interagency Dispatch Center (JDIDC).
More smoke reports are expected throughout the next few days as weather conditions improve.
Local
initial attack resources have been busy responding to these incidents
over the past few days. The majority of the fires are staffed and remain
small, less than one acre in size.
Fire crews will monitor these fires and continue to watch for
additional starts.
The Heppner Ranger District reported three new ignitions. The largest of these fires, the
Corn Cob Creek Fire, is located near Wheeler Point and burning in
grass and timber. The fire was reported on Aug. 11 at 6:52 p.m., is
approximately four acres in size and is 100% contained. Firefighters are
conducting mop up activities on the fire today.
The North Fork John
Day Ranger District reported 12 new fires. Local initial attack
resources successfully contained five of these fires and one fire has
been declared out. Additionally,
four fires were reported within
the North Fork John Day Wilderness near Winom Butte. Aerial
firefighters have attempted to access these fires, however they have
been unsuccessful due to low cloud cover preventing aircraft
from flying into the area. These fires are currently unstaffed, but
fire managers plan to get resources on scene as soon as safely possible.
The largest fire reported was the
North Fork Cable Creek Fire, located 10 miles southeast of Ukiah.
The fire was reported on Aug. 12 at 3:15 p.m. and is burning in grass
and timber. This 28-acre fire is on both Forest Service and Oregon
Department of Forestry protected lands and was
threatening nearby structures. The fire has been 80% lined and
received precipitation in the past 24 hours. Today firefighters will
focus on securing control lines and mopping up hot spots. Resources on
the fire include six engines and three water tenders.
The Red Fir Fire is located 20 miles southwest of La Grande on the North Fork John
Day Ranger District. The fire was
reported on Aug. 11 at 6:52 p.m., is approximately four acres in size
and is 100% contained. Firefighters will continue to monitor and patrol
the area.
Hot
and dry conditions are expected to return early next week. Forest
officials anticipate additional fires will be detected as vegetation
dries, allowing fires to spread and burn.
The fire danger rating is
EXTREME and Public Use Restrictions involving campfires and chainsaw
use are in effect. For more information about the Umatilla National
Forest’s Public Use Restrictions, please contact any forest office, call
our Forest Information hotline at 1-877-958-9663,
or visit our website at www.fs.usda.gov/umatilla/.
The
latest fire information will be posted on the Blue Mountains Fire
Information Blog. If you are interested in receiving updates on fires in
the Blue Mountains, follow
our blog at http://bluemountainfireinfo.
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