9/22/2015 Kettle Complex Update

Oregon Incident Management Team #1 took over command of this incident Sunday September 20th, at 1800.

The message of the day was, continue to keep doing the great job you have been doing, and don’t become complacent in your thoughts towards safety. It has been a long fire season, and as fatigue sets in, so do accidents. Watch out for yourself, and others, and also continue to treat each other with respect.

Continued progress was made yesterday on all areas of the fire, from establishing more containment lines, to burning small brush piles that have been created during the suppression aspects of the job. The larger piles are being inventoried and covered with plastic, to be burnt next spring. Roads are continuing to be evaluated, along with chipping to clear debris. Some seeding is being done, in attempts to reestablish the area to its prior condition.

Today the weather should be sunny, cooler, and drier. Temperatures will be in the 50’s to 70’s range, depending on elevation. RH’s will be near historic lows for this time of year, approaching minimums of 14%, which could allow us to possibly see some smokes today,  however recoveries overnight are still substantial. Winds will be from the Northeast at 8-12 mph, with gusts to 18. Tonight will be in the low 30’s.

Today crews continue to monitor, patrol, and repair damage, on all divisions of the complex. Any extra equipment that is not needed is being backhauled back to camp. This process will be ongoing for the next 5-6 days.

The management team, and firefighters, would like to thank the local communities for all their support and donations. At this time, with operations on this fire diminishing, and fire season winding down, we would request that other charities be considered.