8/2/2014 8:14 am Logging Unit Fires Update

Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team #1
Ross Williams, Incident Commander

Air resources assigned to the Logging Unit Fires assisted the Mt. Hood and Deschutes National Forests and Warm Springs Fire Management with detection and suppression actions on Friday, responding to fires ignited by Thursday’s thunderstorms.

As heavy fuels on the Bear Butte 2 Fire continue to dry and produce significant heat, Vince Grace, Operations Chief Trainee, said that the fire is “a sleeping giant which hasn’t yet been tested or provoked. The provocation,” said Grace, “will come next week in the form of hot, dry winds trying to push the fire out of its containment lines.” Grace emphasized the need to succeed in installing a sprinkler system along the steep north flank of the fire ahead of predicted winds.

The good news for firefighters is that the weather system that had been expected to produce strong winds on Sunday has stalled, and the predicted winds will likely not arrive until Thursday, giving firefighters more time to establish containment lines.

As the heart of huckleberry season arrives on the Warm Springs Reservation, fire officials are considering reopening portions of the closed areas around the fires so that the huckleberry harvest might proceed as smoothly as possible. “The problem, however, is that there is still active fire in the area, with possible new fire starts, and also a high concentration of crews and equipment working in the vicinity,” said Bob Kathman, Liaison Officer for Oregon Interagency Team 1. “We want tribal members to have access to the huckleberry fields, but at the same time we have to make public and firefighter safety our first priority.”

For now, the closure areas remain unchanged. The closures are described on the attached page and shown on the “Public Info Map”. The public is reminded that weekend traffic will be heavy along Highway 26 through the Warm Springs Reservation, and to be on constant alert for fire-related traffic.

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: 945
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: (541) 553-2996
Fire Information E-Mail: LoggingUnitFiresInfo@gmail.com
Fire Information Website: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3973/#