9/15/2014 790 Fire Update

790 Fire Update

Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 3, Incident Commander: Tim Keith

September 15, 2014 - 9:00 a.m.

Fire Information Center:  (206) 947-9729

Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4095/

Facebook: South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership

The Pacific Crest Trail from the southern boundary of Crater Lake National Park to Highway 140 is now open for pass-through use.

A transfer of command from the Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 3 back to the local unit will occur Wednesday morning and be managed from the High Cascades Ranger District.



Location: 10 miles southeast of Prospect, Oregon and 10 miles northwest of Rocky Point, Oregon burning primarily in the Sky Lakes Wilderness.

Current situation:  3,036 acres, 75% contained, 433 firefighters assigned.

Yesterday's Operations – Firefighters continued mop up on the western portion of the fire by extinguishing burning debris along the fire's edge 100-150 feet within the fire perimeter.  More than 20 tons of excess supplies and equipment were removed from the fire by using a pack string to haul equipment to trailheads and helicopters to fly supplies in cargo nets to helibase.  The north, south and east flanks of the fire were patrolled by aircraft and field personnel.

Today's Operations – The fire management strategy is to continue to strengthen fire lines by mopping up burning material and hotspots from the fire's edge to a distance necessary to provide safe containment. With helicopter support, firefighters will continue to backhaul excess equipment from the fire.  Crews will continue firefighting repair measures on secured sections of the fire to minimize erosion and offset the impact resulting from fire suppression efforts.  These repair measures include; masking chain saw cuts, covering exposed soil and constructing water bars.  As fire activity decreases and containment lines are solidified, a reduction of firefighting personnel and resources will continue.

Weather and Fire Behavior – A Red Flag Warning has been issued for 3 p.m. Monday afternoon through 10 p.m. Monday night, as isolated thunderstorms with little or no precipitation are possible.  Daytime temperatures are expected to reach 75-85 degrees, and minimum relative humidity is forecasted to be in the mid-teens to the mid-twenties.  Gusty winds from thunderstorms coupled with dry fuels could potentially increase fire activity.



Closures:

The closure area has been redefined and is now entirely within the Sky Lakes Wilderness.  All trails within the wilderness, including the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), on both the Rogue River-Siskiyou and Fremont-Winema National Forests are now open. The fire area west of the PCT remains closed due to public safety concerns, which include fire-weakened trees, helicopter operations, and burning debris within the fire perimeter.  Roads immediately west of the fire outside of the wilderness also remain closed to reduce conflicts between fire operations and the public.  The revised area closure and details can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-siskiyou or http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4095. Pacific Crest Trail information is available at http://www.pcta.org/.

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR): A TFR is in place over the fire. Please check the NOTAM for current information.

Fremont-Winema National Forest http://www.fs.usda.gov/fremont-winema/        Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest http://www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-Siskiyou