Southern Cascades Team
Incident Commander, Neil Miller
Incident Commander Trainee, Dirk Rogers
September 20, 2018 - 9:00 A.M.
Special Announcements: Southern Cascades Type 3 Team, Incident Commander Neil Miller with Incident Commander (Trainee), Dirk Rogers, assumed management of the Terwilliger Fire this morning. IC Miller would like to thank Northwest Incident Management Team 8 and firefighters for all the hard work in the containment 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 gravity fall hazards including 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
Cause: The fire is currently under active investigation.
Completion: 80%
Public Information Phone: (541) 822-3381 (Temporary, during ICP move) Available 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Information Websites: Inciweb – https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/
Resources: Total personnel assigned – 210: 2-type 2 IA hand crews, 1-camp crew, 1-heavy lift helicopter, 1-light lift helicopter, 8-engines, 1-dozer, 4-water tenders, and 14–tracked heavy equipment.
Current Fire Information: The contract scaling operation along Forest Service Road (FR 19) to reduce gravity hazards such as loose boulders and fire weakened trees has begun. This work will be required along the entire FR 19 and other travelways where fire has impacted the area to mitigate hazards and provide for safe travel. A video posted to Willamette Wildfire and Inciweb illustrates the type of dangerous work being accomplished. Front-end loaders are very busy cleaning-up the travelway surface of logs, rock, and debris. A hazard tree falling contract along FR 500 will begin on Thursday to reduce fire weakened trees along this road system.
Fire behavior of creeping and smoldering is ongoing in a few locations within the fire perimeter, mostly from large, heavy fuels and as islands of unburned fuels continue to be slowly consumed. Smoke is visible in the Walker Creek drainage and on Yankee Ridge. The northeast corner of the fire continues to creep slowly east into the Three Sisters Wilderness parallel to the East Fork of the South Fork of the McKenzie River. All perimeters are closely patrolled and monitored. Patrolling and mopping-up heat on the west flank near the private lands continues. A roadside brusher is working along FR 1993 reducing ladder fuels. Chipping operations are on-going. Helicopters are available for reconnaissance and water drops.
Weather: Warm temperatures are forecasted for today with 61-66 degrees along the ridgetops and 70-75 degrees in the valleys, with minimum relative humidity of 36-41 %. Winds will be light 4-7 mph from the northwest.
This weekend cooler temperatures are expected with a good chance of rain showers by late on Friday into Saturday 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. Please respect the closure areas for your and firefighter safety.
Evacuations: There are currently NO evacuation notices in place for this fire.
Temporary Flight Restrictions: Temporary flight restrictions have been lifted. Operating unauthorized drones in the fire area will shut down all operations so please refrain from use. If you fly, we can’t!
Air Quality: For smoke monitoring information, see Oregon Department of Environmental Quality https://oraqi.deq.state.or.us/
Safety Consideration: The incident command post at the Tokatee Golf Course will be closed and transferred to the McKenzie River Ranger District Fire Warehouse today. Firefighters will also utilize the White Branch Youth Camp. The public is asked to travel with caution near the turnoffs on Highways 126 and 242 near each location.
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