9/22/2015 Dry Gulch Update

There is still some visible smoke in the Dry Gulch fire, with the present warm, dry conditions. The weather is predicted to continue to be warm and dry through the week, with no significant precipitation in the forecast. Firefighters are working on the fire and taking action on these smokes as needed.

Please use caution if traveling in the vicinity of the Dry Gulch fire, and watch for fire equipment and firefighters along the roads.

Management of the Dry Gulch fire will transition from the Northeast Oregon Type 3 Incident Management Team to a smaller local Type 4 organization on September 23rd. Resources assigned to the fire today include 4 crews, 5 engines, 1 dozer, 1 water tender, and 2 excavators. The incident command post is located in Halfway, OR.

The Dry Gulch fire has burned 17,823 acres which includes: 10,396 acres (58%) of Bureau of Land Management land; 2480 acres (14%) on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest; 4814 acres (27%) of other jurisdictions; and 133 acres (1%) of land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry. The cause of the fire is under investigation. No structures have been lost in the Dry Gulch fire.

Fire Operations: The timbered area on the north end of the fire is the active portion of the fire. Crews are continuing to secure the fire line and mop up hot spots along the northern perimeter. They started at the edge of the fire and are now working in deeper from the perimeter. Firefighters are using hand held infrared cameras to detect hot spots along the north perimeter of the fire, which are then extinguished.

Two excavators and a dozer are repairing the effects of fire suppression on contingency dozer fire lines, by pulling back berm material, and spreading brush, limbs and rocks over fire lines that were constructed by dozers. Water bars are being installed to divert run off water along dozer fire lines on steep slopes.

All evacuation notices for the Dry Gulch fire have been lifted.

Campfires are allowed in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest with specific requirements to make them safe. For more detailed information please contact any Wallowa-Whitman National Forest office or visit the website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa-whitman/. Information is also available at the Blue Mountain Fire Information BlogSpot at http://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com/.

A regulated closure is in effect on state and private lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) in northeast Oregon. Please check with a local Oregon Department of Forestry office for more complete information on public use fire restrictions on lands protected by ODF, or visit the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch webpage at: www.bmidc.org.

Fire prevention orders are also in effect for public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). For further information contact a BLM office or the website at www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale.