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Upriver Beacon Fire UPDATE July 20, 2018 8:00 AM Northeast Washington Interagency IMT Type 3, Team #2 DJ Greene Unified Incident Commander Spokane County Fire District #9 Division Chief Nathan Jeffries Unified Incident Commander For Immediate Release Spokane, WA, - Overnight, crews continued to patrol the fire perimeter and identify hot spots inside established containment lines. Firefighters will be addressing those areas today as we begin to start winding down suppression operations. Crews have started to demobilize and are being reassigned to other fires burning around the state. All evacuation orders have been lifted. Camp Sekani and Shields Park Climbing Rocks remain closed. Citizens are asked to stay clear of the area in and around the fire as work continues with lots of equipment and personnel. There are still many hazards associated with the fire that citizens may not recognize. Citizen and firefighters safety is...

The Miles Fire continues to be the highest priority of the 25 fires being tracked and suppressed by the Incident Management Team. Due to the advance of the fire, a level 2 evacuation notice was issued by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday afternoon for Tison Road, affecting about six residences. No other evacuation notices are in effect in Douglas County. The Columbus and HD fires are within ½ mile of growing together, separated only by Serviceberry Creek and the 2950 Road, and are being managed together as the Columbus Fire. “This fire will be around for awhile,” said Operations Chief Vince Grace, referring to the lack of containment opportunities within the large, steep unroaded area to the east of the fire. A drone will be used today to assist firefighters in scouting out potential fire line locations. Warm and dry conditions continue throughout the fire area, with highs in the mid to upper 80’s (F) and relative humidity ranging from 18 to 25 percent...

The night crews continued to make progress on the fires. But, with the winds and low humidity overnight, the fires on the Garner Complex continued to be active. The Grave #3 fire was reported at 800 acres and continued to grow overnight. The Section #14 Fire was at 160 acres and active overnight. Smoke and ash from both of these fires is blowing south into the community of Wimer and surrounding areas. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 2, BE SET, evacuation for homes on Graves Creek Road, north of Ditch Creek. Seven addresses are affected. Contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for details and maps. The Pleasant Fire was at 400 acres. A new spot fire was found and crews began working to contain it. Crews will focus on this fire by opening addi- tional roads to the fire for easier access. They will continue to secure the line on the north side of the fire. Evacuations remain at a Level 2 for Pleasant Creek road between the addresses of 5047-7948. A Level...

General Updates: Firefighters are in the mop-up phase of containment on the Cemetery Fire. Firefighters are on the search for pockets of heat, digging out the heat source, and cooling with water. The infrared flight from last night indicated detectable heat remaining well interior of the containment lines in the open grass and also in the timber. Firefighters will continue to mop-up areas near the containment lines which have the potential to reignite and escape. A full suppression strategy is being utilized to minimize the impact to sage grouse habitat, private and federal grazing, and timber. A hand crew assigned to the Cemetery Fire assisted the Deschutes National Forest by responding to an initial attack of a new fire start yesterday. The fire was successfully contained. Planning for the transition of management of the Cemetery Fire is in progress. The proposed schedule is to turn management of the Cemetery Fire back to the local unit on Sunday at 6:00 am. Acres: 1,414 ...

Oregon State Parks Update:July 20, 2018 Campfires and open flames prohibited in Oregon State Parks SALEM, Ore. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is prohibiting all campfires and open flames in all state park properties effective 10 a.m. today. The ban is in response to Gov. Brown’s declaration of a fire emergency. The campfire and open flame ban includes campgrounds, day-use areas, and all areas of the Ocean Shore and beaches managed by OPRD. The fire ban applies to wood, charcoal, and other flame sources that cannot be turned off with a valve. Liquid fuel stoves or cooking devices that can be turned off with a valve are permitted, but cannot be left unattended. Propane fire pits are allowed in coastal parks and restricted in other areas. MG Devereux, OPRD deputy director, says the ban is meant to avoid any accidental fires on OPRD property that would further tax limited firefighting resources. “We understand this is an inconvenience for campers, especially those who...

Reduced Evacuations, Some Containment Indicate Progress on Substation Fire MORO, OR – July 20, 2018 – Although gusty winds and uphill fire runs fanned the Substation Fire to 70,421 acres, crews made progress on Thursday, reaching 15% containment by the end of the day. Hand crews, air resources and heavy equipment continued working to mitigate the fire’s spread and reinforce containment lines, while engines and structural firefighters implemented point protection tactics to protect structures.Today, crews will continue to focus on minimizing risk to the community and protecting agricultural resources. Some crews will shift from firefighting to evaluation and assessment of fire damage to structures. It is anticipated that the total numbers of structure damage and loss will increase due to these efforts.“Feet and engines are on the ground, at the perimeter and to reach hot spots,” said Alex Haven, operations deputy chief for the Substation Fire. Winds have died down somewhat...

We're pleased to pass along this updated evacuation information: For communities of Moro, Grass Valley and Kent, the evacuation level has been downgraded to Level 2 - Set! The area east of Highway 97 has also been downgraded to Level 2. The area west of Highway 97 remains at Level 3 - Go! County Sheriff's team is reassessing conditions hourly, with the intent to restore access as soon as feasible. Many thanks to community members for your patience during this trying

The weather tonight will remain breezy with extremely low relative humid- ity. Fire behavior could be active on the ridge tops above 4,500 feet elevation beginning after midnight. The night shift fire crews were told to remain vigilant and stay safe while working on the fires. Tonight could be a challenge when the humidity remains low and winds do not die down. Almost 600 acres of growth today across the complex, the most active growth occurred on the Grave #3 Fire which moved steadily to the south. There was also some growth on the Pleasant Fire with some spot fires to the south, but fire managers were optimistic that they could control these spots during the night shift. Individual fire acreage updates will be posted when available. Evacuations remain at a level 2 for Pleasant Creek road between the addresses of 5047-7948. A level 3 went into place for the 7 houses at the farthest end of the road and residents were notified by the Jackson County Sherriff's office. ### ...

Today’s goal for all of the fires in the complex is to continue construction of fire lines around each fire and to catch the smaller ones with more per- sonnel and equipment. We continue to aggressively fight all fires in this complex. The fire team is expecting two large air tankers crossing over from Canada today. In addition, two Chinook helicopters are on order from the Oregon National Guard will be arriving tomorrow. Many of the fires are located in very steep and hard to access areas where helicopters are the most effective equipment. The use of helicopters in steep terrain minimizes the number of fire fighters needed, thus providing for their safety. Today’s weather will be similar to Wednesday. Morning inversions will be present, but should be below most fire locations. This means that north-northeast winds will be present at ridge tops in the morning. It will be hot and dry again today with winds shifting slightly to the north-northwest in the afternoon. Steve Ziel,...

General Updates: Firefighters are in the mop-up phase of containment on the Cemetery Fire. Firefighters are on the search for pockets of heat, digging out the heat source, and cooling with water. A full suppression strategy is being utilized to minimize the impact to sage grouse habitat, private and federal grazing, and timber. Acres: 1,414 Containment: 70% Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Information Center: (541) 316-7711. E-mail: CentralORFireInfo@gmail.com Information Websites: Twitter: @CentralORFire Blog Site: http://www.centraloregonfire.org Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5942/ Weather: A Red Flag Warning remains in effect today from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm for low humidity, dry fuels, and breezy conditions. Temperatures are forecasted for tonight 51 - 56 degrees with maximum humidity of 45-50%. Winds will be variable at 1 - 3 mph after dark. Resources: 2-type 1 crews, 2-type 2 initial attack crews, 4-type 2 crews, 2- camp crews, 1- light helicopter, 11-engines,...

Substation Fire Now Number One Fire in the Nation; Additional Resources AddedMORO, OR – July 19, 2018 – Day 3 of the Substation Fire brought high winds, with gusts up to 35-40 mph, making it a challenging day for firefighters.The winds gave way to growth at the south end of the fire, near Deschutes river canyon, impacting both agricultural and wildland areas. Significant air assets continue to be used throughout the incident, in addition to dozers that helped firefighters make progress towards containment.The Substation Fire is now considered the number one fire in the nation. Additional resources arrived Thursday afternoon in the form of a Pacific Northwest incident management team. These 60 team members add greater depth to the operational forces currently employed on the fire and will assist in managing all aspects of the fire. The additional resources complement the 217 firefighters, who represent 73 fire agencies across the state, currently assigned to the fire.The Oregon...

Upriver Beacon Fire UPDATE July 19, 2018 6:00 PM Northeast Washington Interagency IMT Type 3, Team #2 DJ Greene Unified Incident Commander Spokane County Fire District #9 Division Chief Nathan Jeffries Unified Incident Commander For Immediate Release Spokane, WA, - All evacuation orders have been lifted for residents affected by the Upriver Beacon fire. Firefighters continued their work today and were very successful strengthening containment lines. Night shift crews will be out on the line throughout the night patrolling the fire and handling any hot spots that are detected. Camp Sekani and Shields Park Climbing Rocks remain closed. Citizens are asked to stay clear of the area in and around the fire as work continues with lots of equipment and personnel. There are still many hazards associated with the fire that citizens may not recognize. Citizen and firefighters safety is our number one priority. The Upriver Beacon...

For the California residents interested in the Natchez Fire, the U.S. Forest Service - Klamath National Forest is hosting a community meeting tomorrow evening at the Happy Camp Grange.Time: 6:00 p.m. Where: Happy Camp Grange 2nd Street Happy Camp, CA We will record the Community Meeting and upload the video once the meeting has

A new map has been posted which gives more context regarding the proximity of the fires, the evacuation zones, major roads, Ashland, and Jacksonville. This map is intended to be at a resolution which can be zoomed in on for greater detail in the areas of interest - look for the small link at the bottom of the image which says "Full

You can view a zoomable map on the main page of https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5939/ On the top left corner of the map, you can click on the (+) button to zoom in and click on the cog wheel to change the

DREW, Ore. - The Douglas County Sheriff's Office, working in conjunction with South Umpqua Complex Fire officials, have issued a Level 2 or "SET" evacuation notice to residents living in and between the following addresses: 1642 through 3200 (Flats Ranch) Tison Road. A Level 2, or "SET" evacuation indicates there is a significant danger to the area and residents should either voluntarily relocate outside of the affected area with family or friends. If choosing to remain, be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. It is strongly encouraged that residents in proximity of the fire, even if not in the listed evacuation notice, stay informed via media outlets and information from fire officials.

Local Agencies Creating a Multi-Agency Fire Coordination Group To Address Firefighting Strategies Across SW OR Medford, OR – Local leaders of federal and state land management agencies are making plans for a multi-agency coordination group that will provide a mechanism for prioritizing incidents, sharing resources and putting fires out more efficiently. “Although we’ve been aggressively suppressing the multitude of fires in our individual jurisdictions, local leaders believe that we can be more efficient in keeping our communities safe by working more strategically together,” said Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Supervisor Merv George, Jr. Agencies included in this strategic approach include the Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, and may include others as other fires develop. In association with this approach, a coordinated interagency information center will be stood up in order to provide better information services to the...

Crews working on the Silver Creek Fire are in the final stages of mop-up operations. Most of the remaining hazard trees will be removed today and fire managers expect to begin demobilizing crews tonight. The fire is currently 80% contained and remains at 27 acres. While about 115 personnel are still working the fire, that number will decrease by the weekend. Remaining personnel will continue to locate and extinguish hot spots. Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) fire crews will continue to check the fire through the first fall rains. A Type II helicopter on standby in Salem will be available through the fire season. To date, no injuries or facility damage have been attributed to the fire. Light smoke may continue to come from the fire, but should not impact operations in Silver Falls State Park. Waterfall areas are accessible during normal Park hours. The 214 Trailhead, Howard Creek Horse Camp and Day-use Area, and Camp Silver Creek remain closed. Managers will continue to evaluate...

Prospect, Oregon – On Sunday July 15, lightning started hundreds of fires across Southwest Oregon. They are rapidly being responded to by Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Local Fire Districts, Tribal and Crater Lake National Park firefighting resources. Although many fires have already been contained, as wind and visibility changes, more fires continue to be detected. For efficiency and improved safety, groups of fires are being managed together on specific land divisions. The Northwest Incident Management Team #13 has been given responsibility for managing more than 10 fires on the High Cascades Ranger District west of Crater Lake National Park. The main fires are the Sugar Pine, Round Top and Union Fires. More details are below. Today’s actions are to identify and access fire perimeters in order to determine containment opportunities and minimize fire growth. As inversions lift, more fires are likely to become...

ORDER No. 18-05-009 EMERGENCY FIRE CLOSURE KLAMATH NATIONAL FOREST Pursuant to 16 USC 551 and 36 CFR 261.50(a) and (b), and to provide for public safety, the following acts are prohibited within the Happy Camp Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest. This Order is effective from July 19, 2018, until the Natchez Fire is declared out. Going into or being upon National Forest System lands within the Natchez Fire Closure Area, as described below and shown on the attached map. The Natchez Fire Closure Area begins at the intersection of Forest Road No. 48 (Grayback Road), the Klamath National Forest boundary and the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest boundary, then continues southeasterly along the western edge of Forest Road No. 48 (Grayback Road) to its intersection with the eastern section line of Section 27 in Township 18 North, Range 6 East, Humbolt Meridian, then continues south along the section line to its intersection with the southeastern comer of Section 34 in...