09/10/2014 Deception Complex Fire Update

Fire	Acres	% Contained	Total Personnel
Deception Complex	4824	64%	1024

News & Highlights for the Deception Complex

• Firefighters have made good progress mopping up the E, N, and NW containment lines and holding the W containment line of the fire. Firefighters will continue to mop up, hold the fire line and remove hazardous snags as needed along the W side of the fire line.
  
• Burnout operations were limited yesterday due to cooler temps and high humidities, and may increase today as weather conditions and visibility allow.
  
• Fire weather watch is predicted to be in effect beginning tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. through Friday. A warming and drying trend begins tomorrow and will continue through Saturday.  This will increase fire behavior, assist with burnout operations and also encourage smoke lift and clearing. Haines Index is 5 on Thursday with potential to be 6 on Friday and Saturday, indicating unstable atmospheric conditions. Fires are more active when the Haines index reaches the 5-6 level.
  
• Lane County Sheriff's Department has lifted the Level 1 evacuation notice for the Deception Creek Mobile Home Park, the Middle Fork Ranger Station and houses along La Duke Road.
• Moderate smoke impacts are expected this morning due to smoke settling in low-lying areas throughout the night.  Air quality conditions will improve by mid-afternoon as the inversion lifts.
  
• There is a clean air facility at the Willamette Activity Center in Oakridge that is open Mon-Fri from 9-5 p.m.  The center may also be opened in the evening on an as needed basis. Please call the Red Cross Coordinator Jerry Shorey at 541.915.3880 or the Oakridge Police Department at 541.782.4232.
• Smoke monitors have been placed to keep the public apprised of current smoke conditions. Information from smoke monitors in the Oakridge area is incorporated in the daily Deception Complex smoke forecast which is posted on the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency website at http://www.lrapa.org or http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com.
• Motorists traveling Highway 58 are advised to proceed with caution near the community of Oakridge/Westfir due to smoke, particularly during the school week, and amidst continuing heavy fire traffic.

Deception Complex Operations Summary:

Deception Fire:

The cold front that moved over the fire area the last couple of days caused some challenges for firefighters implementing burnout operations. Aerial ignition was attempted yesterday along the northwest edge and interior of the fire. Those cooler temperatures and calmer winds did allow firefighters to low intensity burn out some understory fuels along a substantial amount of the western and southern flanks of the fire yesterday to provide a deeper barrier between the fire and the fire line.

The high pressure system coming in today will allow for improved burnout operations over the next few days to further strengthen the perimeter and allow for low intensity burnouts to remove surface and understory fuels within the interior.

Resources assigned to the Deception Complex are as follows:

Crews	Helicopters	Dozers	Tenders	Engines
20	8	4	16	43

Staley Fire:  The spike camp was removed yesterday and one crew remains at the fire, rehabbing contingency lines. Limited equipment remains in place.  The remaining crew is expected to be out Saturday.

Davey Fire: Suppression repair activities have been completed and fire equipment has been removed.

Air Operations Summary 

Four heavy helicopters including a 2000-gallon capacity Sky Crane, a medium helicopter, three light helicopters and an air attack platform are assigned to the Deception Complex. Limited visibility due to smoky conditions is expected to limit flight time.

●      A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place over the Deception Fires 272, 274 and 278 and the Staley Fire. A military training Route (R346) has been closed due to the TFR.

●      Oakridge Airport is closed to civilian air traffic because it is currently serving as the helibase for the Deception Complex.

Willamette National Forest Area & Trail Closures:

There are two closures on the Willamette NF associated with the Deception Complex.

●     The Deception Fire closure is an area, road and trail closure that currently includes the Lawler and Deception Trails and the Patterson Mountain Road. A new closure is in effect that adds the 2102 Road to the closure. Forest Roads 5840, 5847 and 5850 were closed previously and remain closed.  The Larison Rock Trail (Trail 3607) was recently opened. The lower trailhead for Larison Rock Trail is open; the closure of the 2102 Road means the upper elevation trailhead for Larison Rock Trail is closed.

●     The Staley Fire closure includes an area and road closure.

 Umpqua National Forest Closure:

●     There is an area, road and trail closure southwest of the Deception Complex. Forest Road 17 remains open to Spirit Falls.  

●     Public use restrictions on campfires, smoking, motorized travel, and internal combustion engines are in effective as of today, Wednesday September 10, 2014, through October 9, 2014, unless sooner rescinded.

Check Inciweb for full closure information, including maps: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4093/ or visit the Willamette National Forest at http://www.fs.usda.gov/willamette or the Umpqua National Forest http://www.fs.usda.gov/umpqua.

SAFETY CONCERNS: Driving hazards exist from smoke on the highway mixed with school traffic. Also, the heavy fire traffic flow on smoky, dusty, narrow forest roads produces serious driving hazards, and potential smoke exposure to firefighters and public can cause health related concerns.

RESOURCE CONCERNS: Threatened and endangered species, including northern spotted owls and bull trout; timber resources, impacts to recreation opportunities, threatened communities of Oakridge and Westfir, municipal watershed of Westfir, Deception Creek watershed above the mobile home park.

WEATHER: Conditions will trend warmer and drier beginning today.  With a high pressure system off the coast, expect light winds up to 10 mph from the north/northwest today.  Relative humidity will be in the 20s during the day and mid to high 40s at night. Tomorrow will be warmer and significantly drier with gusty east/northeast winds up to 20 mph in the valleys and 25 mph at the ridge tops.

TODAY'S EXPECTED FIRE BEHAVIOR: Fire activity will continue to moderate on the southwest perimeter of the fire as the inversion lifts this afternoon.  Isolated and group tree torching is possible in the west side of the fire.

COOPERATING AGENCIES & PARTNERS: Willamette National Forest, Oregon Department of Forestry, Umpqua National Forest, Lane County, Oakridge/Hazeldell Fire Department, Lowell Rural Fire Protection District, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon State Police, Bureau of Reclamation, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency.

The Deception Complex was ignited by lightning on August 12, 2014 and is located two miles west of Oakridge, Oregon.