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Wildfire - Oregon Dept of Forestry
Current information about fires on department-protected lands

Sunday, August 3, 2014


Oregon Department of Forestry Team 2- Chris Cline, Incident Commander
Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office Blue Team – Scott Magers, Incident Commander
CalFire - Phill Veneris, Incident Commander

Oregon Fire Information Number:  541-826-1599
California Fire Information Number:  530-842-2266
Hours of operation: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Special Message: The public is encouraged to use extra precautions when traveling on narrow, fire access roads.  Fire engines, bulldozers and tenders will be in the area.  At times it may be safest to pull over or stop to allow fire traffic to pass.  Use headlights at all times. Roads are narrow, dusty and smoky. 
 Highway 66 is open.  Green Springs can be accessed by the public.

Current Situation: 

Oregon Gulch Fire
Fire personnel have constructed fireline around the south and west sides of the fire. Today’s activities will include constructing fireline on the northeast side of the fire. Contingency lines will also be constructed to follow road systems that prevent fire spread to the north and east.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office have structural task forces protecting homes within the Green Springs Fire District area. The structural protection is being provided by agencies from across the state.  
High pressure remains over the region with a weather system moving into the area bringing with it a chance of moisture with a possibility of lightning.  The fire will also generate erratic winds that may develop late this afternoon.

Salt Creek Fire
Fire personnel working on the Salt Creek Fire will continue mopping up from the outer perimeter of the fire.  
Smoke Forecast:  Officials with the Pacific Northwest Region of the USDA Forest Service are monitoring air quality in the area.  Smoke is expected to move to the northeast of the fires, continuing a northerly direction. Air quality is expected to remain moderate during the day and will likely worsen at night and in the mornings.  For more information, visithttp://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.

Heavy smoke is also visible throughout Northern Siskiyou County in California.

Fire Statistics for Salt Creek
Location: 20 miles northwest of Medford, OR             
Percent Contained: 30%                              
Complex Size: 155 acres                                     
Cause: Lightning                               
Start Date: 7/30/14                                                      

Fire Statistics for Oregon Gulch
Location:  15 miles east of Ashland, OR                                       
Percent Contained: 10%                                 
Complex Size:  32,477 acres (9,109 acres in California)                      
Cause:  Lightning                                
Start Date: 7/30/14                              

Oregon Resources Include: 29 Type 2 hand crews, 6 camp crews, 15 fire engines, 25 bulldozers, 22 water tenders, and overhead personnel. 

California Resources Include: 13 bulldozers, 10 fire engines, 6 Type 1 hand crews, and 3 water tenders.

Air Resources:  14 helicopters and 2 air tankers.
Total Personnel:  1,041

Evacuation Orders by County:

Jackson County
There is still a Level One Evacuation for residents living along Highway 66 in Oregon. The addresses include anyone living between the 11,000 and the 22,000 block of Highway 66. This is on the Ashland side and does not impact people living in Keno!

Level One Evacuation means “Be Ready” for a potential evacuation. Residents should be aware of the danger that exists in their area, monitor emergency services websites and local media outlets for information.

Portions of Copco Road remain under a Level 3 Evacuation.

Klamath County
Klamath County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 3 evacuation order.  The order is for the Klamath River canyon from John C. Boyle Dam to the California border.  This includes Topsy Grade Road and Picard Road and all other normally accessible roads south of Highway 66 east to the Klamath County line in Oregon.

Siskiyou County
Mandatory evacuations (terminology used by Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office) are in place one mile east of the town of Copco to Beaver Creek only on the north side of Copco Lake. An evacuation center has been established at the Jackson Street Elementary School located at 405 Jackson Street in Yreka, California. The evacuation center can also accommodate small animals and livestock.  
Places to get information:


Southwest Oregon District Blog - http://www.swofire.com/


Jackson County Sheriff’s Office - https://www.facebook.com/#!/JacksonCountySheriff



CAL FIRE Ready, Set, Go - http://www.readyforwildfire.org/

CAL FIRE - www.fire.ca.gov
Oregon Department of Forestry
Incident Management Team 1
John Buckman, Incident Commander
Haystack Complex
Morning Update
August 3, 2014   

Late in the evening of Saturday, August 2nd the Stahl Canyon fire was detected about 14 miles east of Fossil.  This is the fourth new fire where resources from the Haystack Complex were asked to assist the local Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters.  The fire is burning in standing and down timber and fortunately gusty winds associated with thunderstorms did not develop over the area as predicted. Aggressive initial attack with the pre-designated initial attack task from the Complex stopped the fire at 14 acres.  Today the fire will be staffed by 24 firefighters to secure the fire line.

The other new fires now being managed by the Complex are:
•   Hog Ridge, 55 acres, nine miles northwest of Dayville, staffed with 12 firefighters
•   School House, 73 acres, six miles east of Monument, staffed with 26 firefighters
•   Beard Canyon,12 acres, nine miles south of Fossil, staffed with 40 firefighters

Mop-up continues on the Haystack and Steet fires and infrared cameras continue to pinpoint hot spots within the fire perimeter.   Meeting mop up standards on these fires may be delayed due to initial attack actions taken to assist local firefighting resources.

A Red Flag Warning was in effect for thunderstorms with abundant lightning over the fire area though 11:00 p.m. Saturday.  Given the past 3 days with four new fires the goal today will be, according to John Buckman, Incident Commander “take care of the ones (fires) we know of and be ready to respond to new ones.”  
Cooperators on the fires are: Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Spray Volunteer Fire Department, Fossil Volunteer Fire Department, Wheeler County Fire and Rescue, Oregon Department of Corrections, Oregon Department of Transportation, United States Forest Service, United States Bureau of Land Management.

Fire at a Glance
Size: 1,835 acres (7 fires)
Location: Spray, Oregon
Containment: 95%
Cause: Lightning
Fuels: Juniper, brush, grass
Total personnel: 344
Hand crews: 11
Fire engines:  17
Bulldozers: 3
Water tenders: 3
Helicopters: 2
Estimated Cost: $1,400,835
Evacuations: None
Structures lost: 0
Closures/Restrictions: None
Announcements: None