Northwest Incident Management Team 8, Incident Commander, Doug Johnson
September 19, 2018 - 9:00 A.M.
Special Announcements: This will be the last update from the Northwest Incident Management Team 8 (NWIMT8) on the Terwilliger Fire. Tomorrow the management of the fire will be transferred to the Southern Cascades Type III Team, Incident Commander Neil Miller. The local units will provide any updated information.NWIMT8 would like to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to the community, cooperators, agency staff, and firefighters for the unwavering support during our management of the Terwilliger Fire.
Terwilliger Hot Springs will remain closed for public safety. Hazard trees around the hot springs will likely need to be felled in the coming months, as well as, trail reconstruction.
Forest Service Road (FR) 19 remains closed to the public due to unsafe conditions from falling rocks, debris and fire weakened trees. The closure begins at the junction of FR 408 south to Box Canyon. The public is asked to respect the road and area closures for the protection to themselves and firefighters.
Acreage: 11,082
Completion: 80%
Public Information Phone: (541) 719-8135 Available 7:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Information Websites: Inciweb – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/
Resources: Total personnel assigned – 267: 4-type 2 IA hand crews, 2-camp crews, 1-heavy lift helicopter, 1-light lift helicopter, 9-engines, 1-dozer, 4-water tenders, and 6–tracked heavy equipment.
Current Fire Information: The contracted scaling operation will continue work along FR 19. The purpose is to identify and remove potential falling rock and fire weakened trees that are likely to come loose, fall or slide. This work must first be accomplished before other crews and work can continue along those segments of the road. Creeping and smoldering fire activity continues in a few locations within the perimeter, mostly from large, heavy fuels that continue to be slowly consumed. A dry northwest air flow today and over the next few days will likely decrease relative humidity making moss on trees and other fine fuels more susceptible to burning. The northeast corner of the fire continues to creep slowly east into the Three Sisters Wilderness and is being closely patrolled and monitored. Patrollingand mopping-up heat on the west flank near the private lands continues. Chipping operations are ongoing along FR 415 and 416.
Helicopters are available for reconnaissance and water drops as the weather allows. Firefighters will be on heightened alert due to the potential hazards such as fire weakened trees and rocks. An Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), also known as a drone, will be used to provide real time reconnaissance of areas that are too dangerous for firefighters. This UAS will be outfitted with a infra-red camera to seek out hot spots that may threaten the fire line.
Weather:
A northwesterly flow continues with drier and warm conditions across the area today. Skies will be mostly sunny with breezy afternoon winds. High temperatures 57-61 degrees Ridgetops, and 63-68 degrees Valleys, with minimum relative humidity of 50-55% Ridgetops, 40-45% Valleys. Winds near the fire will be out of west-northwest at 4-7 mph with a few gusts up to 10 mph.
This weekend is expecting cooler temperatures with a good chance of rain showers forecast by late on Friday intoSaturday morning.
Restrictions: The Willamette National Forest has implemented a Forest-wide campfire ban, which includes all campgrounds and Wilderness areas. For specific information on Forest Order 06-18-01-18-18, see the Willamette National Forest website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/
Closures: An Area Closure has been issued by the Willamette National Forest for the protection and safety of the public and firefighters. Closure order # 06-18-01-18-19 may be viewed in its entirety at http://go.usa.gov/xRnz7 or on Inciweb.
Evacuations: There are currently NO evacuation notices in place for this fire.
Temporary Flight Restrictions: Temporary flight restrictions (TFR) are in effect around the entire fire area. Remember, that temporary flight restrictions also apply to unauthorized, unmanned aircraft systems (drones). If you fly, we can’t!
Air Quality: For smoke monitoring information, see Oregon Department of Environmental Qualityhttps://oraqi.deq.state.or.us/
Safety Consideration: Extra attention is needed while driving Highway 126 with increased fire traffic, large machinery, and pedestrians crossing the highway. Extra road signing and law enforcement have helped reduced speeds. Local residences have noticed a positive effect on driving behavior. Distracted driving continues to also be a concern. Driving is considered one of the most dangerous activities fire fighters do.
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