8/1/2014 10:32 am Logging Unit Fires and Bear Butte 3 Fire Update

While firefighters worked toward eventual containment of the Bear Butte 2 and Logging Unit Fires, surrounding areas were being peppered with downstrikes from a very active thunderstorm that settled over the area for nearly an hour. Very little rain fell, and new fire ignitions were visible from fire camp.
Crews, engines, and individuals have been pre-identified as initial-attack responders in the event there is a new start. On Thursday, initial-attack resources responded to eight new fires as a result of the thunderstorm. A 1/10th-acre fire near Harvey Lake was extinguished, and crews were working into the night to find and suppress additional fires. More initial attack activity is expected today.
A “surge” of resources is being directed at the gap between the Logging Unit Fire and the Camas Prairie Fire. Firefighters expect to be able to directly extinguish the hot spots in the area and create a safe buffer between the fires. This tactic has resulted in a reduction in percent contained for the Logging Unit Fires to 70%.
As lightning flashed around him, Incident Meteorologist Kurt Van Speybroeck spoke of the Red Flag Warning for abundant lightning: “We’re in the thick of it now,” he said, also sharing that after the Red Flag Warning for lightning ends on Saturday night, hot and windy weather can be expected for a few days.
Crews on the Bear Butte 2 Fire are trying a new strategy to keep the fire from spreading to the east and into a carbon reserve being created by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. By bringing in a large brush-eating machine called a masticator and laying in a line of sprinklers down a steep ridge into the glacial-fed Milk Creek, firefighters are planning to trap the fire against the steep rocky lower slopes of Mt. Jefferson. This approach, which results in more fireline to be held, is why the containment percentage has been reduced to 60%.
Please note the new phone number for fire information.

Fire at a Glance
Total Incident Size: 10,447 acres
      -Bear Butte 2 (north half): 3803 ac.
      - Logging Unit Fires: 6644 ac.
Containment:
      -Bear Butte 2 (north half) – 60%
      -Logging Unit Fires – 70%
Assigned Personnel: 942
Aircraft:
      -2 Type 1 Heavy Lift helicopters
      -1 Type 3 Light Lift helicopter
      -1 Fixed Wing Air Mgt Aircraft
Location:
       -Logging Unit Fires: 15 miles WSW of Simnasho on the Warm Springs Reservation.
       -Bear Butte 2 Fire: 25 miles WSW of Warm Springs on the Warm Springs Reservation.
Cause: Started by lightning on July 16, 2014
Fire Information Number: NEW! (541) 553-2996
Fire Information E-Mail: LoggingUnitFiresInfo@gmail.com
Fire Information Website: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3973/#