8/25/2014 South Fork Complex Malheur National Forest

Local fire management is now in command of the Southfork Fire Complex. The fire information number is now 541-575-3000.

Road 24 will be temporarily closed from the Malheur NF boundary, west to the 42 Road. Firefighters will be cutting snags (fire-killed hazardous trees) in the area.

Weather and Fire Behavior

The forecast is for mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the mid to high 70’s in the John Day Valley. Relative humidity rates will drop to the 20% range during the day, but back up to 80% at night. Winds are expected out of the north to be 8-12 mph with gusts of 17 mph. High pressures will be building throughout the week with a warming and drying trend.

Resultant fire behavior includes smoldering, creeping with isolated flare ups. As the weather continues to warm up, single tree torching may occur. Little to no additional spread is expected. Smoke may be visible in the days ahead.

Today’s Operations

Crew’s emphasis will be to continue containment efforts on the north/northeastern perimeter of the fire, south of Dayville. Mop-up, patrol and fire suppression repair along the remainder of the fire are well underway. Minimal growth is expected. Helicopters are also available to drop water on hot spots if needed.

Closures

Due to decreased fire activity in and around the South Fork Complex, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office are reducing closure areas and evacuation levels. These agencies recognize that access for hunting, recreation and other activities is important. However, the public is advised to travel slowly through these areas and be aware of the possibility of falling trees weakened from fire, rolling rocks and fire traffic.

· Ochoco National Forest: All closure orders will be rescinded.

· Malheur National Forest: The area lying within the following perimeters:

o Malheur National Forest (MNF) boundary from the point of intersection with the Forest Service (FR) 21 in Sec. 1, T 13S, R 28E, west to the northwest corner of Sec. 33, T 13S, R 27E.

o South along the MNF boundary to the intersection with FR 24 in Sec. 10, T 16S, R 27E.

o Land north of FR 24. East along FR 24 to the intersection with FR 2180 in Sec. 10, T 16S, R 28E.

o Land north of FR 2180. Northwesterly along FR 2180 to the intersection with FR 21 in Sec. 20, T 15S, R 29E.

o Land west of, and including FR 21 northerly to the point of origin at the MNF boundary.

· BLM Prineville District Lands: The following closures have been enacted: Jackass Creek Road, Murders Creek Road, and Oliver Creek Road.

The official Area Closure Orders will be available at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/malheur/alerts-notices. As conditions warrant, Forest Officials may modify the closure areas. This information will be shared as soon as the decisions are made.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS: The Malheur National Forest is currently in Phase B of the Public Use Restrictions (PURs), which prohibits or restricts use of campfires, chainsaws (firewood cutting), internal combustion engines, smoking, generators, and off-road/off-trail vehicle travel. The following are exempt from Phase B of the PURs: Eagle Cap Wilderness, Hells Canyon Wilderness, Monument Rock Wilderness, and North Fork John Day Wilderness. However there are year-round fire restrictions that are still in effect in these Wilderness areas and can be found at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/PURS.

Forest officials encourage everyone to be safe and careful when recreating or using the National Forest. Although cooler temperatures and precipitation moved across the Forest last week, not all parts of the Forest received precipitation and the weather is forecasted to become hot and dry this week. Due to this, Fire Managers are leaving Public Use Restrictions in Phase B, and evaluating conditions frequently based on current weather predictions. Fire Managers anticipate detecting holdover fires from past lightning storms over the next several days as conditions warrant.

As hunting season approaches, Forest officials want to remind visitors to check frequently with local district offices on fires in the area and closures associated with fire activity.

Visitors in the areas should be aware of the additional fire traffic on Forest Roads, as well as main highways and drive with caution.

Maps and other information of the South Fork Complex are available online at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4042/.