7/24/2014 10:00 Bridge 99 Complex Update

Bridge 99 Complex

Thursday, July 24, 2014   10:00 a.m.

- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -

Incident Information Officer Jeanne Klein

                 Incident Command Post located at Sisters Middle School

E-mail:  bridge99fire@gmail.com

Fire Information: (541) 549-3219

Start date: 7/13/14	Cause: Lightning	Estimated Fire Size: Bridge 99 Fire: 5,345 acres; Southern portion Bear Butte 2 Fire: 615 acres Total complex acres  5,960	% Contained: 60% (+10%)	# of Firefighters: 675 (-147)
Injuries to date: 1	Estimated Containment Date: N/A	Closures:  There will be no changes today in area closures or evacuation orders.  (See next page for more).	# of 20-person hand crews: 18 (-5)	# of helicopters: 1 Type I (Heavy), 1 Type II  (Medium), 2 Type III (Light)

Sisters OR – The Bear Butte 2 Fire continues to burn within the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness on the Deschutes National Forest. Contingency lines using existing roads and former dozer lines are being prepared in the event the fire expands to the south and emerges outside of the Wilderness.

On the Bridge 99 Fire, crews will continue fire mop-up and patrol. The fire perimeter has increased by only 45 acres from yesterday.  Excess firefighting equipment and firefighters needed elsewhere were released for possible reassignment.

On both fires, rain, higher humidity and cooler temperatures limited fire spread.  A cool night followed by temperatures in the 70s, damp fuels, and light winds will continue to limit fire activity today.  Burning within the interior of the fire will likely increase when hot temperatures and low humidity return this weekend.  Mop-up is continuing on the Bridge 99 Fire and will be completed in a few days.

Effective 12:01 a.m. July 25, 2014 (Friday), open fires, including charcoal fires, will be prohibited on National Forest or BLM lands, except in certain designated campgrounds (for a list and more information visit: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/centraloregon/home/?cid=fsbdev3_035880).

These restrictions DO NOT apply to Wilderness areas on the Deschutes National Forest.  The Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) is now III (power saws and other spark emitting activities are prohibited after 1 pm).

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department evacuation orders are currently as follows:

All private lands along the Metolius River from Allen Springs Campground to Lake Billy Chinook (including the Metolius Arm) have been lowered to a Level II Evacuation Order.  The Three Rivers Subdivision has been lowered to a Level I Evacuation Order.  The subdivisions of Rim Park, Forest Park, and Air Park along with Cove Palisades State Park remain under a Level I Evacuation Order.  The Cove Palisades State Park remains open.

Monty Campground and Perry South Campground are open to the public.

The following Forest Service roads, trails, campgrounds and lands remain closed:

Forest Road 12, from its intersection with Forest Roads 1270/1298 to Bridge 99, Forest Road 14, from Bridge 99 to its intersection with Forest Road 1400700 (Allen Springs Campground), Forest Road 1140, from its intersection with Forest Roads 1150/1180 to the intersection with Forest Road 1152, Forest Road 1154, from its intersection with Forest Road 1150 to the intersection with Forest Road 1140, and Forest Road 1420400.  The Lower Bridge, Pioneer Ford, Allen Springs, Canyon Creek, and Candle Creek Campgrounds are closed. The Jefferson Lake Trail (#4001), Sugarpine Ridge Trail (#4002), Shirley Lake Trail (#4003.1), and the Cabot Lake Trail (#4003) are closed within the Mt Jefferson Wilderness. A 5-mile segment of the Pacific Crest Trail (#2000) is closed.  The south closure is located north of the Shirley Lake Trail (#4003) junction and the north closure is located near Cathedral Rocks.  An area closure has been designated on a map that is available on the Inciweb website listed below.  The Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery remains closed to the public.

 The above closures and evacuation levels will continually be assessed to determine if they remain appropriate to protect public health and safety.

 For information on smoke impacts to air quality in your community, go to the Oregon Smoke Blog at: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com.

For detailed information on the fire including maps, area, road, and trail closure information, along with photos, please visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3963/.

 The Bridge 99 Complex consists of two fires (the Bridge 99 Fire and the Bear Butte 2 Fire). The Bridge 99 Fire is burning 18 miles northwest of the city of Sisters on Green Ridge, next to the Metolius River. The southern portion of the Bear Butte 2 Fire is burning in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness on the Deschutes National Forest. The northern portion of the Bear Butte 2 Fire is on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs lands and is being managed by the Fire Team working on the Logging Unit Complex.