This page is designed to provide for timely and official fire information about wildland fires across the Pacific Northwest. The information is posted by the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in partnership with Public Information Officers that work for federal, state and local fire agencies and is drawn from official sources within the wildland fire community.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
9/29/2020 Holiday Farm Fire Update
Holiday Farm Fire
Oregon Department of Forestry IMT 3 Link Smith, Incident Commander and Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Team Ian Yocum, Incident Commander
Email: holidayfarmfireinfo@gmail.com
Holiday Farm Fire Information: 541-357-9729 (7am-10pm)
Lane County Non-Emergency Call Center: 541-682-3977 (8am-5pm)
Linn County Non-Emergency Call Center: 541-812-2260
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HolidayFarmFire/
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7170/
Springfield, Ore. – Oregon Department of Forestry’s Type 1 Incident Management Team 3, Incident Commander Link Smith, will hand the fire over to ODF IMT 1, another Type 1 team, tomorrow morning. The team would like to thank the communities in the area for their kind hospitality and support during our stay.
The size of the fire stands at 173,094 acres and is now 60 percent contained.
650 personnel are currently working the on the fire that includes 17 hand crews, 44 engines, 7 bulldozers, 7 water tenders and 3 other types of heavy equipment. Just six minor injuries have occurred on the fire since it started the night of September 7th.
Fire crews continue to tie containment lines together in tough-to-get-to areas while being supported in the air by four assigned helicopters. Sunday’s higher temperatures and breezy winds stirred up fire activity in some unburned islands around Doe Creek. The interior fire activity posed no threat to containment lines.
Today’s weather will continue to be hot and dry but winds are expected to be minimal.
As ODF IMT 3 passes the baton, fire and other information can still be gleaned from these sources.
For fire information inquiries, call (541) 357-9729 or visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7170/. The Holiday Farm Fire Facebook page will also continue with updates as needed (holidayfarmfire@facebook.com).
For information related to road closures and delays, please visit www.tripcheck.com or https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Pages/Wildfire.aspx.
9/29/2020 South Obenchain Fire Update
South Obenchain Fire
South Obenchain Fire Update
September 29, 2020
Quick Facts
South Obenchain Fire Summary
Incident Start: September 8, 2020
Acres: 32, 671
Containment: 96%
Cause: Under Investigation
Single Structures Lost: 33
Other Minor Structures Lost: 56
Wildfire Information Center: (458) 206-3043 https://southwestoregonwildfireinformation.blogspot.com/
Jackson County Emergency Management: (541) 776-7338
Email: SouthObenchainFire@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthObenchainFire
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7185
Air Quality: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/
Update: Yesterday, the red flag warning and easterly winds tested the brush and oak in the area, but no active flames flared up and there was no threat to containment on the South Obenchain Fire. Crews are actively engaged in mop up and suppression repair work in Division U on the southeastern flank, ensuring no heat exists within 300 feet of the established fire perimeter. Hose lays are still being used in this section, and crews are breaking up dozer berms that were put in to control the fire early on during the incident. Smokes are still found in the deep interior of the fire.
Weather: Very warm temperatures and dry and unstable conditions are expected over the burn area through much of the week, with little day-to-day variation in the forecast. Winds will be light and mostly terrain/diurnally driven. Temperatures and humidities will vary slightly and gradually moderate by the end of the week. There are no precipitation chances through the weekend and low humidity levels. Temperatures will be in the 90s today.
Resources: 380 total resources. 12 type-2 crews, one light helicopter, two medium helicopters, one fixed-wing air tanker, one air attack, 21 engines, four dozers, eight water tenders, and three skidgens.
Evacuations: Properties east of North and South Obenchain Roads within the burn area are reduced to Level 1. All other areas impacted by the Obenchain fire are no longer under an evacuation order. Visit the Jackson County Emergency Management page: https://jacksoncountyor.org/emergency/News/News-Information for a map of evacuation levels and updates.
Evacuee Resources: The evacuation shelter remains located at the Jackson County Expo Center, 1 Penninger Rd. in Central Point, Oregon where some services are available. Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARC) are now open in Medford with smaller satellite offices operating in Talent, and Phoenix. MARC locations will be available from 8 am – 8 pm, seven days a week.
Medford: Central High School, located at 815 S. Oakdale Avenue (541) 842-3669
Talent: Talent Elementary School, located at 307 Wagner Creek Road (541) 535-1531
Phoenix: Phoenix Civic Center, located at 220 N. Main Street (541) 535-1955 ext. 303
Temporary Flight Restrictions: The footprint of the TFR has reduced in size and height. It remains in place for the safety of the firefighters and aircraft fighting the South Obenchain fire. Please consult the Notice to Airman for specifics.
Closure: All Bureau of Land Management lands within the fire perimeter remain closed. The public must not enter closure areas and closed recreation sites. Maps of the closure areas are available on the Bureau of Land Management’s website: http://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions
Public and FireFighter Safety is The Number One priority
Please drive carefully. Firefighters are present and working through the area and along Butte Falls Highway.
9/29/2020 Riverside Fire Update
Riverside Fire Update
Riverside Fire Quick Facts
Start Date: Sept 8, 2020
Approx. Size: 138,029 ac.
Resources:
10 Crews
18 Engines
7 Dozers
6 Water Tenders
3 Helicopters
5 Masticators
Cause: Human
Containment: 37%
Incident Commander:
Noel Livingston
Pacific Northwest Team 3
Total Personnel: 534
Location: 1/2 Mile SE of Estacada, OR
Riverside Fire Update – Tuesday, September 29, 2020 – 9:00 a.m.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Warm and dry conditions with less breezy winds are expected today as a high pressure system remains over the fire area. Smoldering, some creeping and isolated smoking fire activity is expected within the fire perimeter. Vegetation is drying out with warmer and drier conditions. Growth of the fire is not anticipated due to effects of the moisture we received last week. Low humidity levels are being observed at elevations above 2500’.
Yesterday: Firefighters continued to monitor and patrol the fire perimeter and directly engage where heat is encountered near the fireline. In addition, mop-up and improvement of fire lines continued with debris removal. Mop-up is when fire crews work by hand checking for any sources of heat, using hand tools to spread out debris and water to extinguish any smoldering fire activity, ensuring the areas along the fire perimeter are out and cold. On the north side of the fire, equipment operators finished line improvement. East winds continue to dry out fuels, no fire perimeter growth occurred.
Today’s Activities: Firefighters are focused on patrolling, monitoring and mop-up along firelines. The focus of firefighter patrol is to ensure hazard trees and vegetative debris smoldering near structures and firelines are addressed. Heavy equipment work continues along roads with chippers and masticators to improve existing containment and contingency firelines on the south and west side of the fire.
Despite recent rains and cooler temperatures fire season and regulated-use closure are still in effect for lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry in Clackamas, Marion, and Linn counties. Backyard burning is prohibited during fire season; other restrictions for outdoor activities can be found at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/PFR.html.
Evacuations: Current evacuation informationis available at www.clackamas.us/wildfires, twitter.com/ClackCoSheriff or by calling 503-655-8224.
Smoke info: Oregon Smoke Blog:oregonsmoke.blogspot.com
Willamette Valley Smoke outlook: wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/nworegon
Closures: Mt. Hood National Forest https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mthood/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD811247
Bureau of Land Management www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/orwa-fpo-nwo-092220.pdf
Fire Information: 509-228-7805
Road Closures on TripCheck: www.tripcheck.com/
Inciweb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7174/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RiversideFireInfo
Twitter: twitter.com/fire_riverside
Youtube: tinyurl.com/RiversideFireInfoVideos
Monday, September 28, 2020
9/28/2020 Holiday Farm Fire Update
Holiday Farm Fire
Update for Sept. 28, 2020, morning
Oregon Department of Forestry IMT 3 Link Smith, Incident Commander and Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Team Ian Yocum, Incident Commander
Holiday Farm Fire Information: 541-357-9729 (7am-10pm)
Lane County Non-Emergency Call Center: 541-682-3977 (8am-5pm)
Linn County Non-Emergency Call Center: 541-812-2260
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HolidayFarmFire/
Email: holidayfarmfireinfo@gmail.com
Springfield, Ore. – Firefighters on the Holiday Farm Fire welcomed another favorable day of weather Sunday. Calm winds and blue skies produced perfect working conditions that helped bump containment to 55 percent. The fire has not spread from its current footprint of 173,094 acres in seven days.
The area will continue to turn from warm to hot over the next few days with an east wind component that is expected to stir fire behavior inside the interior of the fire. Residents and passersby can expect to see small columns of smoke within the fire’s interior over the next few days. These “smokes” pose minimal threat to crossing containment lines or threatening homes. Fire personnel are encouraging the public to not report these smokes to emergency services as they overload the system and create unnecessary response.
Hazard tree and debris removal will continue along Highway 126, but local motor vehicle traffic will be allowed through with a pilot car along a 10-mile stretch between mileposts 28 and 38.
For more information regarding road closures and delays, visit https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Pages/Wildfire.aspx or www.tripcheck.com.
ODF Team 3 remains committed to the safety of the public and wildland fire personnel. All fire personnel are expected to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control for preventing the spread of COVID-19. To date, zero cases of COVID-19 have been reported on the Holiday Farm Fire.
| Estimated Size: | 173,094 acres |
| Containment: | 55% |
| Start Date/Time: | 9/7/2020, 8:20 p.m. |
| Expected Containment Date: | 10/29/2020 |
| Location: | Lane County |
| Cause: | Unknown |
| Personnel: | 635 |
| Assigned Resources:
Hand Crews: Engines: Dozers: Water Tenders: Other Heavy Equipment: |
17 44 7 7 3 |
| Assigned Aircraft:
Structure Task Forces: |
4
0 |
| Firefighter Injuries: | 6 |
| Structures Threatened: | 0 |
| Structures Destroyed
Residences: Non-Residential Commercial: |
431 24 |
| Evacuations: | Not in Effec |
9/28/2020 Beachie Creek Fire Update
Prepare to see and smell smoke but the fire is not growing
East winds push smoke west Monday right to Silverton, Silverton hills,
Silver Falls State Park, and likely Lyons
Salem, Ore. –A strong warming and drying weather pattern moves over the Cascades Monday and shifts wind direction, pushing smoke right into the communities on the western flank of the Beachie Creek fire. With wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour, you will likely see and smell smoke, but the fire is not growing.
Within the fire’s footprint, tree stumps continue to smolder where the fire moved underground burning root systems. On Monday, ground fire may get oxygen, producing more smoke. The fuels are too wet to allow growth, but a few flames might be seen that will not go anywhere. This is typical fire behavior, and this smoldering will go on for weeks or months but is not likely to escape the fireline.
In the Abiqua Basin area, contractors are working with heavy equipment to remove downed trees and mitigate hazards so firefighters can get deeper into the forest to seek and destroy remaining heat. Suppression crews remain in the North Fork / Elkhorn area. Canadian crews continue to mitigate hazards along the southern perimeter.
In the Detroit to Cumley Creek area, Monday’s thermal belt will hold temperatures at night; then in the day, the strong winds shift directions potentially downing trees. Fire weakened trees continue to fall on area roads. The Oregon Department of Transportation has removed 19,200 trees off roads since the Beachie Creek fire started on August 16, 2020. Monday’s winds could result in more falling hazards; residents and motorists must be aware of their surroundings.
The Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team remains confident with its direct and contingency containment lines. On Monday, another Type 1 team, the Pacific Northwest 3, shadows operations and assumes command on Tuesday. Teams typically rotate every 14 days.
The Bureau of Land Management, and State lands around the fire remain closed to the public. Parts of the Willamette National Forest are closed, and visitors are encouraged to check closures on the National Forest Website and be aware that there is still fire danger in the burn area. The burn area is off-limits to all visitors. Go to InciWeb.gov for more information about closures in the area.
Acres: 192,843 acres
Start Date: August 16, 2020
Origin Location: Opal Creek Wilderness:
two miles south of Jawbone Flats, six
miles north of Detroit, Oregon
Sunday, September 27, 2020
Saturday, September 26, 2020
9/26/2020 Holiday Farm Fire Update
Holiday Farm Fire Update
Springfield, Ore. – All evacuation levels have been lifted on the Holiday Farm Fire, which is now 45 percent contained. Hazard tree and debris removal will continue along Highway 126, but motor vehicle traffic will be allowed through with a pilot car along a 10-mile stretch between mileposts 28 and 38.
While some damaged trees have been removed, ODOT says a second and possibly third round of tree removal will occur as more trees die from fire damage. Property owners may find that more trees will be removed over the next weeks and months.
For more information regarding road closures and delays, visit https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Pages/Wildfire.aspx or www.tripcheck.com.
Lingering showers will keep the fire damp today, but a turn to dry, warm weather is on the horizon. Incident meteorologist Tom Wright says that light northwest winds will develop this afternoon and begin to dry out ridgetops throughout the fire area. Warm east winds will return to the area beginning Sunday that will also start a warming trend with temperatures in the low to mid 80’s. Hot, dry and breezy conditions out of the northeast are expected to continue through Wednesday. Fire crews have been blessed with favorable weather the past three days that has allowed close access to the fire’s edge when building direct fire lines.
Much of the line construction work remains on the east side of the fire with heavy mop-up taking place throughout. Fire suppression repair is also underway in many areas. Ground forces will begin placing water bars along bulldozer and hand lines to prevent erosion and water runoff into streams during the rainy season.
9/26/2020 Thielsen Fire Update
This is the final update from the Southern Area Incident Management Gold Team. Tomorrow, the Southern Area Incident Management Red Team will take command of the Thielsen Fire at 7 a.m. It has been our honor to serve the Diamond Lake Community for the last two weeks.
Location | Diamond Lake Ranger District, 5 miles north of Crater Lake National Park and within 1 mile of Diamond Lake Resort |
Size/ Containment | 9,971 acres and 69% contained. Fire was discovered on Sept. 8 at 0830 PDT. Cause is unknown. |
Evacuations (no change) | Evacuation level is at Level 2 “SET” for the Diamond Lake area. Authorized residents and permit holders are allowed to enter the area. Road guards are at checkpoints around Diamond Lake to restrict access to unauthorized users. Visit the Douglas County Sheriff’s website for the most current information. |
Resources | Personnel: 489 Type 2 Crews: 4 Type 2IA Crews: 2 Helicopters: 2 Type 3 Engines: 1 Type 4 Engines: 4 Type 6 Engines: 9 Water Tenders: 10 Masticators: 1 Dozers: 6 |
Current Situation | Two consecutive days of rain and high humidity allowed for expedited containment. Yesterday, crews continued to construct handlines, secure and mop-up containment lines, and pull hose. Today, firefighters will work to hold and mop up along the western edge of the fire. Handcrews and engines will continue to construct handline from Cinnamon Butte to Hwy. 138 and to identify containment opportunities along the northern edge of the fire. Crews will construct handline, cold trail and mop up along the fire edge and continue to identify contingency containment opportunities along the southeastern edge of the fire. Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics (MIST) are being implemented in the fire area. |
Closures (change)
| Road Closures: Hwy. 138 is open with pilot cars escorting traffic from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to mitigate risks to fire resources working along and adjacent to the roadway. For the latest road conditions, visit www.tripcheck.com. The route to Miller Lake via FS Road 9772 remains closed from the intersection with Hwy. 97 to the intersection with FS Road 110 due to firefighter traffic. Drivers are being directed to take FS Road 9774 to connect with FS Road 110 as an alternative route. Forest Closures: The Umpqua National Forest is currently at Industrial Fire Precaution Level III. No industrial operating waivers will be issued. The Fire Adjective Class is High. Temporary emergency closure orders remain in effect for all National Forest System lands, roads, and trails within the Cottage Grove Ranger District: ORDER NO. 06-15-01-20-423, Tiller Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-02-20-422, Diamond Lake Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-03-20-420 and North Umpqua Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-06-20-421. Flight Restrictions: A new, smaller temporary flight restriction goes into place at 8 a.m. today to provide a safe environment for fire-fighting aircraft operations. |
Air Quality | Air quality continues to be good. For more information visit airnow.gov |
Weather and Fire Behavior | The area is expected to receive early morning wetting rain. By 11 a.m. winds will increase 10 to 15 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph. |
InciWeb |