8/29/2017 Horse Prairie PM Update

ODF IMT 3

LINK SMITH, INCIDENT COMMANDER

MORE INFORMATION:     FACEBOOK.COM/HORSEPRAIRIEFIRE

 HTTPS://INCIWEB.NWCG.GOV/INCIDENT/5540/#

HORSE PRAIRIE FIRE

August 29, 9:00 A.M.

Camas Valley, Oregon – Night shift crews on the Horse Prairie Fire reported that the fire was very active overnight, burning an additional 400 acres and bringing the total fire size to about 2,500 acres. Eric Perkins, Night Operations Section Chief for the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team, said that the conditions were much hotter and dryer on the ridges at 3:00 a.m. than in Camas Valley, roughly eight miles north of the fire. The fire is moving primarily in a south, southeast direction.

In coordination with the fire team, the Douglas County Sheriff’s office issued a Level 2 or “Set” evacuation notice for residents living on Lower Cow Creek Road from the end of County Maintenance to Union Creek. This includes residents living on Doe Creek Road. A Level 2, or “Set” evacuation notification means residents must be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. There is significant wildfire danger in the area as a result of the Horse Prairie Fire. Residents are encouraged to voluntarily relocate to a shelter or with family/friends outside of the affected area. If choosing to remain, residents should be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Residents may have time to gather necessary items, but doing so is at their own risk.

Residents should closely monitor official outlets for additional information. Lastly, residents with a landline telephone number may be contacted via an automated emergency notification system from the Sheriff’s Office. That same system can be dialed directly at 1-855-419-2349. Those who do not have a landline telephone and rely on a cell phone are asked to register their cell phone number to receive potential emergency messages from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. You may register at www.dcso.com/alerts

Firefighters hope to take advantage of calmer weather conditions today. Close to 400 personnel are currently assigned to the fire with more crews expected to arrive. Additionally, crews are being supported with 8 helicopters, 9 engines, 14 water tenders and 7 bull dozers.

To stay current on any changes in fire activity, follow us on social media at Facebook.com/horseprairiefire or on the national incident reporting site known as inciweb.

PUBLIC FIRE RESTRICTIONS REMINDER

Lands protected by the Douglas Forest Protective Association are currently under extreme fire danger with the following public use restrictions. The use of power saws, mowing dry, cured grass, cutting, welding and grinding, fireworks, exploding targets, sky lanterns and tracer ammunition are currently prohibited. Campfires are only allowed in approved campgrounds. Smoking is only allowed in vehicles on improved roads or designated locations. Vehicles must stay on improved roads and must have a shovel and water or a fire extinguisher. Log on to dfpa.net or https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/Firerestrictions/PFR.html for more information.