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Wednesday growth on the Granite Gulch Fire was limited to the Last Chance drainage, the southern perimeter and a spot fire near the Minam River. "The bottom is still slowly moving through the riparian area towards the Minam River cleaning up the heavy dead and down," Incident Commander Adam Wing said. "The fire up Last Chance continued to back down into the basin and has evened up into a nice line and the spot fire south of the Minam River doubled in size to about 4 acres." Most of the smoke generated Wednesday came from an unburned pocket near Granite Gulch proper left behind when the fire first moved through about two weeks ago. For the most part, smoke from the fire has stayed fairly low to the ground, moving through the canyon In anticipation of the coming storm and associated lightning, all firefighters stationed on the ground around the perimeter of the fire were brought out Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rain can cause erosion of ash and freshly exposed soil, but the rains...

Fire management officials on the Heppner Ranger District are implementing a prescribed natural fuel burn today, which is one of two units planned this week. The Sun Bacon prescribed burn activities are anticipated to take 2-5 days per unit to complete and include 425 acres of grass, brush, and timber located approximately 20 miles south of Heppner and seven miles east of the Morrow County OHV park. The objective of the burns are to improve foraging habitat for big game, reduce long-term wildfire risk through reductions in existing fuel loading, and to restore the ecological functions of a fire adapted ecosystem to the area. Additional information about this prescribed burn is available by visiting the Umatilla National Forest’s prescribed fire interactive map. This map displays burning activities and is available at https://tinyurl.com/y8b433th. The interactive map allows the user to zoom in on certain areas and click on a burn unit for more information (such as acreage,...

Firefighters accomplished ignition of approximately 2,800 acres of the 5,072 acre Canyon 66 prescribed burn unit yesterday, about 30 miles east of Prineville on the Ochoco National Forest. With positive results of a test fire at 11 am this morning, firefighters are moving ahead with ignitions today. Temporary road closures are in effect today for public and firefighter safety. Forest Service Road 22, between the junctions with Forest Roads 42 and 2210, will be closed until ignitions are completed and safe travel can be ensured. Forest Roads 2610 and 300 are also closed within the operational area. An alternative route for access to Walton Lake is Forest Road 4210, east of Round Mountain. Road guards are stationed to assist forest visitors with travel and safety information. Smoke settled into low areas early this morning and began to clear as the inversion lifted around 1030 am. A spot weather forecast for the burn area indicates good lift and light northerly winds will help disperse...

Tuesday, crews worked to find and extinguish spots outside the containment lines and continued mopping up areas immediately inside firelines, to create a wide, black, cold barrier to the fire’s spread. Crews raked smoldering surface fuels away from the stems of living large pines near the 13 road to increase their long-term survival. In the evening and late into the night crews completed the last piece of strategic firing to remove surface fuels along the north containment line near Swamp Creek, and will begin mopping up this area today. The fire has reached the lines identified, built and reinforced over the past several weeks, completing the containment objectives originally set for the fire. The fire is now 55% contained.Lower humidity, brisk afternoon winds and a more unstable atmosphere today will allow remaining unburned areas within containment lines to burn actively. Five heavy helicopters capable of dropping water and retardant and two fixed-wing air attack supervision...

An incoming storm system followed by a wet weekend should significantly reduce burning on the Granite Gulch Fire. "The next few days will be telling as we keep a close eye on the fire south of the river during a time of high fire activity," Incident Commander Adam Wing said. “The incoming storms will certainly slow things down for a while after a peak in activity Wednesday and Thursday.” Based on the forecast, fire managers reviewed the fire management implementation plan Tuesday and decided to allow the spot fires upstream from the Elk Creek confluence to continue to burn. "This spot is one we have been previously keeping in check with heavy helicopters," Wing said. "It was decided that now is an appropriate time to allow it to grow." Incoming rain combined with up-canyon winds are expected to grow the fire on the north side of the Minam River canyon. A second spot fire is confined to a marshy area with almost no potential for spreading. ...

Prescribed burning operations on the Canyon 66 unit, east of Prineville, Ore. on Ochoco National Forest, successfully accomplished 2,800 acres on Tuesday, more than half the total 5,072 acres planned.Light winds out of the northwest dispersed smoke to the east and northeast of the unit today, but smoke is expected to settle in and around the unit Tuesday night, affecting residents in the area and closer to Prineville, Ore.The burning operations have achieved desired results to date, with fire burning the understory at low to moderate intensity in a mosaic pattern with unburned patches. Individual trees have occasionally torched in pockets of heavy fuel loading. Containment lines around the unit have been constructed and blacklining operations completed this afternoon. Fire managers plan to continue the prescribed burn tomorrow pending favorable conditions. The National Weather Service has announced a fire weather watch beginning Thursday for Central and Eastern Oregon, calling for...

Prineville, ORE. — Following successful completion of a 5-acre test burn within the unit this morning, firefighters are moving forward with aerial ignitions for the 5,072-acre Canyon 66 prescribed burn. Ignitions on Tuesday will begin along the northwest border of the unit, and slowly work toward the interior of the unit. Pending successful completion of burning operations today, fire managers plan to continue burning the interior of the unit tomorrow and work southeast toward Forest Service Road 22. Multiple firefighters are stationed along the containment lines for the burn to ensure fire stays within the unit’s perimeter. Road guards are posted along roads surrounding the unit to assist visitors and prevent people from entering the area during active ignitions. Light winds out of the northwest are expected to push smoke to the southeast of the burn unit today, but smoke is expected to settle at low points overnight. Smoke will be visible in the immediate area today and from...

On Monday, crews completed bringing the fire out to the primary containment lines, with the exception of a short piece of the northwest line near Swamp Creek. It is expected that firefighters will complete this final section tonight when wind speed and direction are favorable. Crews actively searched for and extinguished spot fires outside the line on the eastern and southern flanks. No spot fires were located after 2 p.m. yesterday. The fire is now 30% contained.With the completion of strategic burning operations on most of the fire, crews will concentrate on mopping up areas immediately inside firelines, to create a wide, black, cold barrier to the fire’s spread. Unburned islands within the fire may continue to burn and put up a smoke column. Six heavy helicopters capable of dropping water and retardant and two fixed-wing air attack supervision airplanes are assigned to today’s operation. They will watch for and help suppress spot fires resulting from embers that could carry...

Activity on the Granite Gulch Fire was minimal Monday, but is expected to pick up and spread to the east and west as has been the pattern lately. "The forecast is still calling for a warm, unstable period, followed by rain and storms on Thursday," Incident Commander Adam Wing said. "This should allow the subalpine fir in Last Chance to actively burn some more." Smoke is more visible during active burn cycles, but doesn't always correlate to the size of the fire. "Even moderate fire growth can put out a lot of smoke," said Bret Ruby, a fire behavior analyst assigned to the fire. "These more active burn days allow us to encourage the fire to move in the direction we want." For the past several weeks, fire managers have been gradually steering the fire into a patchwork of past burned areas, using a lighter version of traditional suppression techniques. These burned areas create a natural buffer zone that will contain the Granite Gulch Fire, and fire...

UPDATE: September 2, 2019 Due to the precipitation that's predicted on Thursday, and cooling temperatures predicted to start next week, the Lookout Mountain Ranger District has decided to take advantage of current warm weather to start the Canyon 66 prescribed burn tomorrow, rather than Wednesday. Pending favorable weather conditions, and appropriate fuel consumption measured by a test burn tomorrow morning, firefighters plan to begin ignitions within the Canyon 66 unit around 1030 am tomorrow and continue until around 5 pm. Firefighters will be stationed in and around the burn unit to assist visitors and prevent people from entering the operational area. Forest Service Road 22 will remain open, but other roads within the unit will be temporarily closed to entry during active ignitions. Smoke will be present and visible in the immediate area during ignitions and is expected to settle at lower elevations at night. Residents in the immediate area, and as far west as Ochoco Reservoir,...

Fire Size: 7,866 acres Containment: 10%Location: 15 miles southeast of Prairie City, Oregon Start date: August 9 Cause: Lightning Total Personnel: 622 Management: Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 9 Sunday’s weather was favorable for intentional burning to remove surface fuels along the primary containment lines to reduce the potential for high intensity burning and the opportunity for airborne embers to ignite fuels across the containment lines. Fire was brought to the containment lines along much of the eastern line, comprised of the 13 and 16 Roads, and along the northern and southern flanks. With light evening winds from the north, crews worked late into the night to take advantage of favorable conditions, accomplishing additional burning from the Swamp Creek drainage south. Today crews will continue work to strengthen control lines by carefully burning unburned areas near containment lines. Six heavy helicopters capable of dropping water and retardant are...

After several very quiet days, activity on the Granite Gulch Fire picked up Sunday, although the most active burning was in interior pockets that hadn't burned yet. Breezier conditions and lower humidity today are expected to renew fire movement on the east and west flanks, which have driven the fire's spread for the past several weeks. "The west wind should help the fire continue to spread deeper in to the Last Chance basin where it can continue to ease around," Incident Commander Adam Wing said. "I expect the east flank to continue to burn along the slope, with the wind causing short runs up the hill in front of itself." A Type 1 helicopter made several water drops to slow the progression of an existing spot fire in the riparian area on the south bank of the Minam River which grew to about 2 acres and moved up to the edge of an avalanche chute. A new spot fire six-tenths of mile downstream from Elk Creek also received water. "I expect very little...

Fire Size: 6,708 acres Containment: 5% Location: 15 miles southeast of Prairie City, Oregon Start date: August 9 Cause: Lightning Total Personnel: 636 Management: Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 9 A return to higher temperatures, lower humidity and breezy winds allowed active fire behavior Saturday. As the fire moved toward primary containment lines, crews intentionally ignited surface fuels along the containment line to reduce the potential for high intensity burning near lines. Two fixed-wing air tankers dropped retardant along a ridgetop road north of Swamp Creek which is the northern containment line, reducing the opportunity for airborne embers to ignite fuels across the containment line. With light evening winds from the north, crews worked into the night to take advantage of favorable conditions, accomplishing additional burning within the Swamp Creek drainage in anticipation of today’s drier weather and increased fire behavior. With today’s...

JOSEPH, Ore. — September 1, 2019 — With the onset of September, the chances of the Granite Gulch Fire escaping confinement drop fast. "Conditions moderate pretty quickly through September," said Bret Ruby, a fire behavior analyst assigned to the fire., explaining that monsoonal rains start moving into northeastern Oregon in early fall. Statistically, the likelihood of a season season-ending event sufficient precipitation to fully suppress a fire, if not extinguish it increases to 50 percent by September 29; reaches 75 percent by October 8; and hits 90 percent by October 15. "In reality, fire spread events drop off before that," Ruby added. "We may be able to just let it kick around it there." Explorers and pioneers named the Blue Mountains for the smoky haze generated by low intensity fires clearing the forest floor naturally in the late summer and fall. "It's a very natural, common part of the landscape, Ruby said. "When we do get starts in...

Fire Size: 6,108 acresContainment: 5%Location: 15 miles southeast of Prairie City, OregonStart date: August 9Cause: LightningTotal Personnel: 593Management: Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 9 Friday, crews took advantage of higher humidity and recent rainfall to mop-up areas where the fire has reached containment lines on the south flank, and spot fires outside the containment line resulting from aerial ember transport. Work continued to remove and chip vegetation along containment lines including roads. With the return of higher temperatures and lower humidity today, fire spread in unburned areas within the containment area is likely. Firefighters will use this to their advantage to burn these surface fuels between the active fire edge and containment lines. This planned burning will begin at the active fire edge and progress outward toward the lines, so that the fire does not develop unwanted intensity or have a severe effect on remaining healthy trees. Burning will...

High clouds and humidity kept the Granite Gulch Fire from spreading much at all Friday, with the most active burning being on the west flank where the fire is backing down the slope into Last Chance drainage. Today, the firefighters stationed around the perimeter of the fire will rotate out after five 12-hour days of observation duty. "It is a tough duty sitting on an exposed ridge for 12 hours a day staring at smoke, but they couldn’t have a more beautiful place to do it," Incident Commander Adam Wing said, "With temperatures in the low 30s and highs in the 80s, it can be a harsh environment to live and work exposed on a ridge, yet they all volunteer for another stint." Each of these firefighters is certified in Fire Effects Monitoring, meaning they have been trained in taking spot weather checks, fire activity observation, collecting before and after photos as the fire moves around, estimating the fire's rate of movement, inventorying the types and amounts of...

As winds push smoke from the 204 Cow Fire to the north and northeast, residents and visitors in Prairie City, John Day, Unity and Baker City can expect light to moderate smoke in their communities tonight and tomorrow.Smoke impacts should dissipate in the John Day Valley Saturday afternoon, but increase in the Unity and Baker

Even if you experience scattered rain showers in your area, our fire danger is still at hand. Please be safe as you go on outdoor adventures this weekend holiday.

So far this year, DNR has had 1,031 wildfires in Washington state, and the Department of Natural Resources needs your help to make sure we don’t have more.

Here’s how you can help prevent wildfires:

We suggest always check to see if there are local burn restrictions or bans on campfires before leaving home to go camping or hiking. Because campgrounds may choose to ban campfires, it is best to check with the campground host before lighting a campfire.

In areas where campfires are allowed:

• Use an existing fire ring; don’t create a new one.
• Clear all vegetation away from the fire ring (remove all flammable materials, such as pine needles, leaves, and branches).
• Keep your campfire small.
• Keep plenty of water and a shovel nearby for throwing dirt on the fire if it gets out of control.
• Never leave a campfire unattended.

When putting out your campfire, you should:

1. Drown the campfire with water.
2. Mix the ashes and embers with soil. Scrape all partially burned sticks and logs to remove all hot embers from them.
3. Stir the embers after they are covered with water and make sure everything is wet.
4. Feel the coals, embers, and any partially-burned wood with your hands. Everything should be cool to the touch.

Besides being illegal, the discharge of even a single firework or explosive device in the forest poses a major risk of igniting multiple fire starts all at once.

Most wildfires are preventable because most are human-caused. Please report any smoke to 911 immediately.

Remember, wildfire prevention not only takes just a few minutes of your time, it protects you from the financial consequences of causing a wildfire.

 

MALHEUR NATIONAL FORESTForest Order# 2019-0604-MAL-03CCOW FIRE AREA CLOSURE ORDERMALHEUR NATIONAL FORESTPursuant 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 August 29st, 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. 36CFR § 261.55(a)ROAD AND TRAIL CLOSURES: FS Road 13 - T15S R33.5 SECTION 15 - In between the junction with FSR 16 and junction of the FSR 13-600FS Road 16 - T15S R35 SECTION 9 - In between the junction with FSR 13 and junction of the FSR 1665FS Road 1675 - T15S R35.5 SECTION 26 - The 1675 from the junction of the 16 to the North Fork of...

Fire Size: 5,516 acres Containment: 5% Location: 15 miles southeast of Prairie City, Oregon Start date: August 9 Cause: Lightning Total Personnel: 603 Management: Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 9 Thursday, firefighters detected and contained a number of spot fires southeast of the fire, as far as one mile outside the primary containment line, resulting from the fire’s rapid expansion to the southeast on Wednesday. Thunderstorms brought rainfall ranging from .01 inches to .2 inches across the fire area. While lighter fuels such as grass and small branches are unlikely to carry fire early in the day today, the heavier concentrations of dead and downed trees are expected to be receptive to the fire. By afternoon, high pressure and warmer drier weather will begin to build over the area. The Incident Management Team is prepared to initial attack new fires in the vicinity of the 204 Cow Fire, and to support other efforts in the area if requested by local agencies. ...