Fire Terms

7/29/2019 McKay Butte Evening Update

Fire personnel held the McKay Butte Fire, burning northeast of McKay Butte on the Deschutes National Forest, to 190 acres during today’s firefighting operations.

Crews, heavy equipment and aerial resources secured the perimeter of the fire with fire line tied-in with existing roads achieving 10% containment. During today’s operational shift, firefighters worked to suppress interior torching and spot fires. Overnight, firefighters will hold and improve containment lines around the fire.

A Level 1 (BE READY) evacuation notice is still in place for the McKay Crossing, Ogden, and Prairie Campgrounds on the Deschutes National Forest.

Road closures currently in place include FSR 9736 north of Paulina Creek and FSR 9735. There are no trail closures associated with the incident at this time.

The McKay Butte Fire (Incident #527), south of Forest Road 9735, was reported by Lava Butte Lookout at 3:00pm on Sunday, July 28. Approximately 160 fire personnel are currently assigned to the incident.

The fire is still under investigation.

The public is reminded to be careful with any ignitions on public lands. Central Oregon recently moved to HIGH fire danger, meaning fuels are very receptive to ignitions. If you are recreating on public lands, remember to remain diligent about ensuring all fires are ‘dead out’ and cold to the touch, all spark arrestors are properly installed, and trailer chains are secured.

7/29/2019 McKay Butte Fire AM Update

Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Update – July 29, 7:30 a.m.

Redmond, Oregon  The McKay Butte Fire, burning northeast of McKay Butte on the Deschutes National Forest, is now estimated to be 190 acres. 

Firefighters saw active fire behavior through the night on the McKay Butte Fire as it made some wind driven runs to the southeast. Crews and heavy equipment worked to construct fire line to tie-in to existing roads and create a perimeter around the fire. The work of fire line construction will continue today with the assistance of a heavy air tanker with a lead plane, two single engine air tankers (SEATs) and a Type 3 helicopter. 

A Level 1 (BE READY) evacuation notice is in place for the McKay Crossing, Ogden, and Prairie Campgrounds on the Deschutes National Forest. 

The McKay Butte Fire (Incident #527), south of Forest Road 9735, was reported by Lava Butte Lookout at 3:00pm on Sunday, July 28. 

The fire is still under investigation.

7/28/2019 Central Oregon Evening Fire Update

Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Update – July 28, 9:00 p.m.

Redmond, Oregon Firefighters responded to three new incidents on the Deschutes National Forest today, the largest is the McKay Butte Fire, northeast of McKay Butte.

The McKay Butte Fire (Incident #527), south of Forest Road 9735 was reported around 3:00 pm by Lava Butte Lookout and quickly grew to 15 acres. A heavy air tanker, two single engine air tankers (SEATs) and a Type 3 helicopter responded in addition to multiple engines and dozers. A Level 1 (BE READY) evacuation notice was issued by US Forest Service Law Enforcement and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for the McKay Crossing, Ogden, and Prairie Campgrounds on the Forest as a result of active fire behavior. Firefighters have been working to put in containment lines around the fire and will continue that work throughout the evening and into the night. The fire is now estimated at 90 acres. 

Two fires—the first near Black Butte and the other west of La Pine off of Burgess Road—were contained at under .3 acre. 

All fires are under investigation. 

The public is reminded to be careful with any ignitions on public lands. Central Oregon is in HIGH fire danger, meaning fuels are very receptive to ignitions. If you are recreating on public lands, remember to remain diligent about ensuring all fires are ‘dead out’ and cold to the touch, all spark arrestors are properly installed, and trailer chains are secured.

7/23/2019 DFPA Fire Update


Douglas Forest Protective Association

1758 N.E. Airport Road
Roseburg, Oregon 97470

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

7-23-2019

Contact:  Kyle Reed     
Phone:  541-672-6507 X 136 (office) or 541-817-7186 (cell)     
E-Mail:  kyle.reed@oregon.gov

Tuesday Fires

Hubbard Creek Fire:  Firefighters from the Douglas Forest Protective Association and Douglas County Fire District #2 responded to a natural cover fire 14 miles west of Sutherlin, near Hubbard Creek Road.  Crews arrived on scene of the Hubbard Creek Fire around 5:30 p.m. and located a slow moving fire that burned about 1/100th of an acre.  A preliminary fire investigation indicated that the cause of the Hubbard Creek Fire was powerline related.

Haines Creek Fire:  Crews from the Douglas Forest Protective Association and Elkton Rural Fire Department responded to a natural cover fire, one mile south of Elkton, near Haines Creek.  Crews arrived on scene of the Haines Creek Fire around 8:00 p.m. and found a slow moving fire burning between Highway 138 West and the Umpqua River.  Firefighters stopped the forward spread of the Haines Creek Fire at a quarter acre of grass and brush and remained on scene until about 11:00 p.m., mopping up hot spots and securing control lines.  The cause of the Haines Creek Fire is currently under investigation.


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7/23/2019 Umatilla National Forest Fire Update

LIGHTNING FIRE UPDATE
July 23, 2019 – 8:30 a.m

Contact:  Darcy Weseman (541) 278-3722


Firefighters on the Heppner Ranger District continue to make progress on wildfires caused by the recent thunderstorm. A total of six fires were reported yesterday with more fires expected throughout the next few days.

The Bull Fire, located near Bull Prairie Lake, was reported yesterday at 4:39 p.m. and is four acres in size. The fire is burning in a combination of mixed conifer and open pine fuels. Fire behavior yesterday consisted of torching and spotting. A helicopter aided suppression efforts by dropping water and cooling hot spots. Today firefighters will continue to construct and improve control lines and secure the perimeter to reduce the risk of the fire moving outside the perimeter lines. Resources on scene include three Forest Service engines, two Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) engines, and an ODF dozer.

Firefighters were successful yesterday on the Cabin Creek Fire, which is 100% lined. Fire crews from the Heppner Ranger District and an engine from the Oregon Department of Forestry will focus on mop up and securing containment lines today. The fire remains five acres in size and is located about 1.5 miles north of Rocky Flat.

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7/6/2019 NWCC Morning Brief

Date/Time Stamp: Saturday, Jul 06, 2019, 06:56

Northwest Activity Summary
Scattered light precipitation occurred west of the Cascades. Light to moderate precipitation accompanied thunderstorms in northern parts of Washington, Northeast Oregon and Southeast Washington. Several dozen lightning strikes were recorded in these areas as well. Initial attack was light. 

Preparedness LevelsNorthwest PL
Current
3-Day
10-Day
30-Day

National PL
1 (1/1)
1
2
3

2 (6/12)





Northwest Incident Activity 
New Fires and Acres29 fires for 25 acres
OR: 11
 fires for 3 acres
WA: 18
 fires for 22 acres
Large Fire Summary
New large incidents: 0
Reported incidents: 0 (OR: 0 WA: 0) 
No growth on existing incidents
Northwest IMT Activity
NIMOs Committed: 0
Type 1 IMTs committed: 0
Type 2 IMTs committed: 0
National Fire Activity 
Initial attack activity: Moderate (261) new fires
New large incidents: 3
Large fires contained: 2
Uncontained large fires: 11

National IMT Activity
Area Command Teams: 0
NIMOs committed: 
0
Type 1 IMTs committed: 1
Type 2 IMTs committed: 2

Nationally, there are 47 large fires being managed under a strategy other than full suppression.


Northwest Current Incident Details
Incidents listed below meet large fire criteria and/or incidents with a Type 1 or 2 IMT assigned. Large incidents are defined as fires which are 100+ acres in timber or 300+ acres in grass/brush. For additional information on incidents no longer listed below please refer to the NW Large Incident Summary or Northwest Fires Utilizing Monitor, Confine, Point Zone Protection Suppression Strategies (YTD)
Incidents not Previously Reported: 0
Incidents Previously Reported: 0

Northwest Fire Weather Summary
Temperature is anticipated to fall a bit below normal over the weekend and into the first part of next week as upper level weather systems move in from the Pacific. Westerly winds will continue through the wind-prone spots in the Columbia Basin and Columbia River Gorge. Isolated wet thunderstorms are expected to continue mainly along the Canadian border through the weekend.

Northwest Fire Potential Summary
Fire danger is near normal for early July for most of the geographic area and is expected to remain near normal for the foreseeable future. Overall, the potential for new large fires on the landscape remains at background levels or less for this time of year without combinations of critical fire weather patterns and ignitions.

National Incident Management Situation Report (IMSR): https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/sitreprt.pdf