7/20/2015 Crews making good progress on the Marion Fire near Marion Lake; Mt Jefferson Wilderness

Crews making good progress on the Marion Fire near Marion Lake; Mt Jefferson Wilderness

Approximately 100 firefighters worked late into the evening yesterday battling the Marion Fire near Marion Lake in the Mt Jefferson Wilderness. The fire is holding at 120 acres. Containment is still estimated at 50%, but that is expected to increase today as crews are assisted by aircraft and continue their fire line building efforts.
A Type III Incident Management team has assumed control of the fire. According to Incident Commander Chad Calderwood, the difficult conditions firefighters are facing on the ground are making suppression efforts slow going. “There is a lot of large, down wood and snags from a previous fire in the area.” said Calderwood. “Firefighters are taking it slow and keeping safety as their number one priority. Luckily, fire activity is remaining moderate at this time”.
Fire crews identified a fresh lightning strike tree in the interior of the burn. Fire managers referenced a lightning activity map of the area and a positive strike was identified at the location of the tree. The official cause of the fire has been determined to be lightning.
Trail closures remain in effect for a portion of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness. A complete list of trails is included below. The Pacific Crest Trail (#2000) and the Turpentine Trail (#3490) remain open.

• Marion Lake #3436
• Marion Outlet #3495
• Blue Lake #3422 to the intersection with Bowerman Lake #3492
• Bowerman Lake #3492
• Minto Pass #3437
• Lake of the Woods #3493 between Minto Pass Trail #3493 and Swallow Lake Trail #3488
• Pine Ridge #3443 east of the intersection with Turpentine Trail #3490
• Marion Mountain #3435
• Temple Lake #3444

Smoke from the fire may continue to be visible from the Bend area as well as on the west side of the Cascades. Firefighters may conduct a small controlled burning operation to consume heavy ground fuel this afternoon resulting in intensified smoke for a short time within the fire boundary. Visitors are asked to use caution when travelling in the area on Highway 22 due to increased fire traffic.
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