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More rain and temperatures in the 30s held the Granite Gulch Fire at a virtual standstill Sunday. A total of 0.19" of precipitation fell at Mule Creek Lookout over the past 24 hours. Low-hanging cloud cover Sunday blocked a line of sight view of the burn area until late afternoon, at which time minimal smoke could be seen. Continued cool temperatures and high humidity, scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms are predicted for today and Tuesday. A brief warming and drying period is expected Wednesday and Thursday, followed by more rain and wet weather this weekend. A wildfire struggles to generate enough heat to dry out and burn the fuels around it in the same way a campfire does, resulting in very low fire activity. If it is too cold and wet, it eventually goes out. To move, rather than spread from its center; a wildfire heats and ignites the fuels above it on a slope; or because the wind is pushing it into new fuels and adding oxygen that...

To provide for public and firefighter safety, roads leading to the fire area have been closed pending an official closure order. As hunting season continues this fall, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is asking people to be aware: Know Before You Go.

There will be a public meeting about the Gopher Fire at the Prospect Community Hall at 305 Red Blanket Road, Prospect, Oregon on Sunday Sept. 8, 2019 at 7 PM.

SW Oregon – There will be a Community Meeting tonight September 8, at the Prospect Community Hall at 7:00 P.M. The Gopher Fire is burning within the Sky Lakes Wilderness, approximately 11 miles east of Prospect. The fire is estimated at 300 acres and is the result of 5 small fires that burned together after the lightning storm that moved through the area September 5th. The additional 70 acres since yesterday is largely due to consumption of snags and woody materials from the 2008 Middle Fork Fire. Yesterday, heavy helicopters were utilized to check the fire’s spread on the east flank, keeping the fire from spreading further up the Middle Fork drainage. Crews made great progress on the west side of the fire and that containment line should be completed by the end of shift today. Crews are constructing a handline on the south flank of the fire on Gopher Ridge and plan to utilize the Middle Fork of the Rogue River to contain the fire on the north and northeast portion. Direct...

Saturday, firefighters used helicopter bucket drops to knock down some hot spots on the north flank in the Swamp Creek and Glacier Peak area. Cool wet weather continues over the fire area today, making continued fire spread very unlikely in the near future. Rainfall and high humidity are penetrating more deeply into burnable material. This progressive wetting of forest fuels allows a reduction in firefighting crews and equipment as containment objectives are reached. Crews are working to complete chipping the cleared vegetation along the 16 Road. Firefighters are repairing firelines and placing water bars to divert runoff to prevent erosion. The fire is now 72% contained. Because there are still helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in use, a temporary flight restriction (TFR) remains in place. The NOTAM is 9/9780. Please remember, the use of an unmanned aerial system (UAS, or “drone”) within the TFR is prohibited. Any drone incursion will force the grounding of all firefighting...

Fire activity was minimal Saturday on the Granite Gulch Fire, with no visible smoke outside the drainages of the Eagle Cap Wilderness. Although Saturday was sunny and warm, higher humidity prevented the fire from generating enough heat to spread beyond the existing perimeter, Incident Commander Andrea Holmquist said. Since Aug. 28, the fire has spread about 353 acres, just over half a percent of the total fire footprint. "Much cooler and showery weather should bring wetting rains Sunday through Tuesday, so we expect more of the same fire behavior," she said. For northeast Oregon, a wetting rain is defined as one-tenth of an inch of precipitation. At 6:30 a.m. there was an 80 percent chance of rain today. At 5,555 acres, the Granite Gulch Fire encompasses less than 1 percent of the total Eagle Cap Wilderness, yet it is the largest wildfire the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has chosen to actively manage rather than immediately suppress. A slow fire...

SW Oregon, September 7, 2019 – On September fifth a lightning storm went through the area, causing 18 starts on the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest. The Gopher Fire is the result of five small fires burning together. It is located in the 2008 Middle Fork Fire scar within the Sky Lakes Wilderness. Current size of the fire is estimated to be 230 acres. Firefighters are working to keep the fire south of the Rogue River, east of the Middle Fork Fire, north of Gopher Ridge, and west of Bear Face Butte and Seven Lakes Basin. They will reopen old fire lines from the 2008 Middle Fork Fire as part of their suppression efforts. Fire personnel assigned to the Gopher Fire total 177. There are seven 20 person hand crews, 3 faller modules, and 1 Dozer (this will not be used Inside of designated Wilderness). Air support assigned to the fire includes 3 Type 1 helicopters, 1 Type 2 helicopter, and 2 type 3 helicopters. At this time, the fire is burning in terrain very steep terrain 30-45%...

Friday, intermittent thunderstorms produced rainfall amounts over the fire ranging from .15 to .30 inches. While this rain moderates the rate of spread and the likelihood of spotting, it is not enough rain to extinguish the fire. Rain has not yet penetrated the deep, thick duff layer and heavy concentrations of fuel, which can harbor heat and the possibility of fire spread later in the Fall. The northwest portion of the fire between Glacier Mountain and Lookout Mountain remains an area of concern. There is still a potential for fire spread in the upper Swamp Creek drainage. Firefighters will keep a close eye on these areas and can use helicopter water drops to suppress active burning if necessary to keep the fire within the primary containment lines. Crews continued chipping along the 16 Road, and removing pumps and hoses from the southern line. The fire is now 72% contained. Today will be clear and sunny, but tomorrow brings a return of cooler temperatures and significant rainfall....

Storms over the Granite Gulch Fire area generated lightning, hail and rain for a short time Friday. Today's forecast is calling for mostly sunny conditions, although temperatures will be cooler and humidity levels will remain higher. "It's possible we'll see an increase in fire behavior, but nothing like Thursday," which was the most active burn day this week, Incident Commander Andrea Holmquist said. "[Relative humidity] are going to stay in the 20s and 30s, and fire activity has been peaking in the teens." Statistically, the fire interval for any given area in the Eagle Cap Wilderness Is 10 to 25 years, but there are no records of fire in the Granite Gulch area for much longer than that. "We don't see anything from the Last Chance Fire across the Minam east until now," said Bret Ruby a fire behavior analyst. "It was time." The normal winnowing out of smaller trees and shrubs hasn't happened, allowing some species to populate more heavily than they...

COW FIRE AREA CLOSURE ORDER MALHEUR NATIONAL FOREST Pursuant to 36 CFR, Sec. 261.50 (a) and (b), the following acts are prohibited in the area described in this order and depicted on the attached map within the Malheur National Forest, County of Grant and Baker, State of Oregon. This order is in effect from September 6th, 2019, until December 31st, 2019 unless rescinded earlier. PROHIBITION: 1. Entering or being in the Cow Fire Closure Area. 36 CFR § 261.53(e) 2. Being on National Forest System Roads. 36 CFR § 261.54(e) 3. Being on any National Forest System trail within the Cow Fire Closure Area. 36 CFR § 261.55(a) ROAD AND TRAIL CLOSURES: ROAD NUMBER APPROXIMATE LOCATION SPECIFIC CLOS!,!RE LOCATJON FS Road 13 T15S R33.5 SECTION 15 In between the junction with FSR I6 and junction of the FSRI 3-600 FS Road 16 Tl 5S R35 SECTION 9 ...

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, Ore. - Malheur National Forest fire officials are monitoring conditions on the Forest and preparing to implement the fall prescribed fire program. Prescribed fires, also known as controlled burns, refer to the planned and controlled use of fire by a team of highly skilled fire managers under specific conditions. During the late summer and early fall months, the Forest has a number of planning units, ranging in size from 150 acres up to 4000 acres, scheduled for prescribed fire operations. Prescribed fires are conducted within specific parameters including temperature, relative humidity, fuel moisture, and wind speed. Implementation is dependent upon these and other necessary conditions. Should conditions allow, crews may start operations on some smaller units as early as, Friday, September 13, 2019. Fall burning will build upon efforts in the spring when the Forest safely and successfully accomplished prescribed fire operations on approximately...

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, Ore. - Malheur National Forest fire officials are monitoring conditions on the Forest and preparing to implement the fall prescribed fire program. Prescribed fires, also known as controlled burns, refer to the planned and controlled use of fire by a team of highly skilled fire managers under specific conditions. During the late summer and early fall months, the Forest has a number of planning units, ranging in size from 150 acres up to 4000 acres, scheduled for prescribed fire operations. Prescribed fires are conducted within specific parameters including temperature, relative humidity, fuel moisture, and wind speed. Implementation is dependent upon these and other necessary conditions. Should conditions allow, crews may start operations on some smaller units as early as, Friday, September 13, 2019. Fall burning will build upon efforts in the spring when the Forest safely and successfully accomplished prescribed fire operations on approximately...

Fire managers have now reopened to public travel the segments of Forest Service Road 22 and Forest Service Road 2610 that passed in or near the Canyon 66 prescribed burn unit on the Lookout Mountain Ranger District of Ochoco National Forest.Workers completed all ignitions on the 5,072-acre prescribed burn late Wednesday night, and spent Thursday mopping up around the edges, putting out hot spots, and mitigating hazards along the roadways. Motorists are advised to continue driving with caution in the area of the burn as firefighters with heavy equipment continue working along the perimeter.The unit received substantial precipitation last night, but pockets of heat and burning fuels remain, and will continue to produce smoke over the next one to two weeks as the unit dries out

SW Oregon, September 6, 2019 – Air recon was completed this morning, giving the RRSNF a better picture of this fire burning in the 2008 Middle Fork Fire scar in the Sky Lakes Wilderness. Current size is estimated to be 200 acres, as it is 5 smaller lightning-sparked fires that have combined. The Gopher Fire is now being managed by a local Type 3 organization. A Type 1 helicopter and 2 air tankers are working it heavily, with the aim of slowing fire progression. Two crews are also working it, with more resources on order. Crewsare working to open old fire lines on the landscape that were used to contain the 2008 Middle Fork Fire. At this time, the fire is burning in terrain very steep terrain 30-45% and the fuels are comprised entirely of large dead snags, grass and brush. Fire managers are optimistic that cooler weather with higher relative humidities will provide for an opportunity to make good progress on containment efforts. There are currently no closures in place, although...

Thursday afternoon the fire area received light rainfall, ranging from a trace to as much as several hundredths of an inch. This moisture did not penetrate the forest canopy enough to significantly wet fuels on the ground. Unburned areas within the containment lines will remain susceptible to the fire. Yesterday the fire moved primarily in the upper Swamp Creek drainage and on the unlined western flank, spreading farther west toward and into areas burned by previous wildfires. Sparse fuels limited the fire’s spread on this flank. On the northern, eastern and southern flanks, the fire has reached the lines identified, built, and reinforced over The fire is now 65% contained.This morning brings a chance of showers or thunderstorms, with clearing and a return to lower humidity in the afternoon. Firefighters will check the fire spread and intensity on the uncontained western flank and in upper Swamp Creek as necessary to protect the ridgetop barrier forming the containment line. Crews...

SW Oregon, September 6, 2019 – Reports of a new fire in the Sky Lakes Wilderness came through the Rogue Valley Interagency Dispatch Center Thursday evening, and staff are developing strategies and ordering air and ground resources this morning. Initial reports have the Gopher Fire located in the scar of the 2008 Middle Fork Fire (Township 33S Range 5E Section 8). A visible column of smoke could be seen from some parts of the Rogue Valley this morning. Air reconnaissance has begun, which will provide a clearer picture of the size of the fire, and will facilitate development of further strategies for full suppression tactics, including access points and future resource needs. The RRSNF will update as more information is collected.

Thursday, the Granite Gulch Fire spread into the Cheval Lake area as the northwest flank began moving more eastward. "The bulk of the smoke [Thursday] was from there," Incident Commander Andrea Holmquist said. "The fuels along the ridge west of the lake are sparse, but burning was active in dead and down we saw some group torching of subalpine fir." One objective of the fire's management plan is to remove overly dense subalpine fir clumps to increase habitat for whitebark pine, which needs exposed open spaces to germinate. Removing heavier ground cover and opening spaces in the forest canopy to allow more sunlight to reach the ground also encourages the growth of new forage for wildlife. Firefighters in the air and on the ground have seen elk and other game moving normally in and around the fire's footprint since its inception. A spot fire on a north-facing slope in the riparian area south of the Minam River showed active ground fire with open flames,...

There are no new Announcements as of September 5. We will post new ones when

Ignition of the 5,072 acre Canyon 66 prescribed burn was completed yesterday around 11 pm, approximately 30 miles east of Prineville on the Ochoco National Forest. Firefighters are now securing the burn perimeter and taking care of hazards to public and firefighter safety. Smoke from the unit will be visible in coming days as fire continues to burn in the interior. Forest visitors are encouraged to use Forest Service Road 4210 again today (east of Round Mountain) to access the Walton Lake area. Firefighters are currently addressing hazards along Forest Road 22 between the junctions with Forest Roads 42 and 2210. They hope to have the route clear for safe travel by the end of today. Forest Roads 2610 and 300 remain temporarily closed within the prescribed fire operational area. Smoke has impacted surrounding communities at different times over the last 48 hours. Prevailing winds help to disperse smoke during the daylight hours while smoke tends to settle at lower points overnight....

On Wednesday, lower humidity, brisk afternoon winds and a more unstable atmosphere allowed remaining unburned areas within containment lines to burn actively. The fire expanded primarily on the unlined western flank, spreading farther west into areas burned by previous wildfires. Sparse fuels limited the fire’s spread on this flank. On the northern, eastern and southern flanks, the fire has reached the lines identified, built, and reinforced over the past several weeks. The fire is now 65% contained. Crews worked to find and extinguish spots outside the containment line and continued mopping up areas immediately inside firelines, to create a wide, black, cold barrier to check and stop the fire’s spread.There is a Red Flag Warning today for thunderstorms with abundant lightning and strong gusty winds from variable direction. This brings increased risk for firefighters and the chance of new ignitions. Rainfall may vary from just a few hundredths of an inch to more than one-quarter...