InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

Milepost 97 Fire – Friday Afternoon Update Active fire behavior has been observed again today on the Milepost 97 fire, which is now estimated to be 6,000 acres in size. The majority of the fire growth has been to the south / southwest of the original fire and is burning through a mixture of private industrial timberlands, O&C Lands Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and lands held in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the Cow Creek Tribe. Both ground and aviation resources are currently engaged on the fire with seven helicopters, two large air tankers and two single engine air tankers supporting firefighters on the ground. Additional aviation resources and ground resources in the form of hand crews, engines, and heavy equipment have been ordered and are enroute to the incident. The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Incident Management Team 3 arrived in Roseburg this afternoon and were briefed on the status of the Milepost 97 Fire by representatives from the...

News Release July 26th, 2019 Cheney, WA – There are four separate fires in the Cheney area including the Graham Fire, the Grogan Fire, the Lake Badger Fire, and the Badger fire. Crews have accurately measured the footprints of the four fires and sized them at 171 total combined acres At this point we have attained 20% containment of the fires and we expect that to increase significantly over the next couple days. Last night there was a burnout operation on the Graham fire which went well. There are no other burnout operations planned on any of the fires. All fires in the complex have been 100% lined. That means that hand or dozer lines are in place and crews will begin moving toward the interior of the fires 100 feet from the perimeters checking for heat and ensuring there is no possible chance of fire spread. Infrared devices will then be used to ensure that any heat detected can be addressed. Evacuation Level 1 remains in effect for the six residents south of SR904 near...

News Release July 25th, 2019 Cheney, WA – There are four separate fires in the Cheney area including the Graham Fire, the Grogan Fire, the Lake Badger Fire, and the Badger fire. Crews have accurately measured the footprints of the four fires and sized them at 171 total combined acres At this point we have attained 20% containment of the fires and we expect that to increase significantly over the next couple days. More work is needed to attain acceptable pass back standards of a 100 feet around the perimeters of the fires and 200 feet around all structures. Infrared devices will then be used to ensure that any heat detected can be addressed. The only evacuation order remaining in effect is for the six residents south of SR904 which has been lowered from Level 2 to Level 1. Evacuation orders for all other areas have been lifted. Our focus over the next 24 hour period will be the construction of waterbars, cross gridding, and cold trailing. A waterbar is a feature used to...

Additional firefighting resources arrived on Wednesday. That afternoon the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 1 evacuation notice (“Get ready”) for the area adjacent to the fire. Late Wednesday afternoon fire activity increased with some “spotting”(airborne embers igniting fuels outside the perimeter of the main fire) observed. One load of fire retardant was dropped on the west flank of the fire to slow the upslope spread shortly before sunset. Fire managers estimated the fire perimeter had grown to 160 acres by that time. That growth prompted issuance of a Level 3 (“Go”) notice for six homes and other structures nearest the fire and a Level 2 (“Set”) for over 250 residences along SR 410 effective this morning. Maps of the affected areas are available on the Yakima County Office of Emergency Management Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/YakimaCountyOEM). This morning, fire managers are simultaneously continuing operations and evaluating the...

News Release July 25th, 2019 Cheney, WA - The Cheney Complex Fire is comprised of four separate fires in the Cheney area of Spokane County. The four fires include the 104 acre Graham Fire, the 10 acre Grogan Fire, the 21 acre Lake Badger Fire, and the 16 acre Badger fire. Yesterday, wind and topography drove the wildland fire through light flashy fuels. Dozer and hand-lines were constructed around the fires and burnout operations were conducted last night to burn any additional unburned fuels between the constructed line and the fire. Hot spots remain throughout the various fire footprints. A Level 2 evacuation order remains in effect for 6 residents and a Level 1 evacuation order remains in effect for an additional 50 residents. Motorists are advised of increased fire apparatus traffic and smoke in the area of the Cheney Complex. Last night saw no significant growth of the fires and no reported new starts. Today, crews will be working to firm up the estimated footprint of the...

News Release July 24th, 2019 Cheney, WA - The Cheney Complex Fire is comprised of four separate fires in the Cheney area of Spokane County. The four fires include the 104 acre Graham Fire, the 10 acre Grogan Fire, the 21 acre Lake Badger Fire, and the 16 acre Badger fire. The initial attack on the multiple fires was led by firefighters from Spokane County Fire District 3 and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Their efforts were joined shortly after initial reporting by firefighters from multiple agencies in Spokane County. Their speedy and gallant efforts worked to avoid any damage to approximately 30 structures that were threatened by the encroaching fire. Evacuation orders have been lowered to Level 1 for those areas that were under a Level 2 evacuation order, and the area between S.R. 904 and the railroad has been downgraded from Level 3 to Level 2. S.R. 904, which was closed earlier today, reopened at about 9:00 p.m.. Citizens are advised that they may see...

Malheur National Forest Incident Command Team Type 3 Rick Snodgrass-Incident Commander This will be the last Fire Update Friday, July 12, 2019 Fire: Blue Ridge Fire Containment: 100% Acres: 667 Start Date: July 3, 2019 Cause: Lightning Location: 4 miles NW of Flagtail Lookout Total Personnel: 40 Fuels/Topography: timber Type of resources: 1 crew and 6 engines. Today: Fire size 667 acres: Crews and engines continue to monitor the area and continuing mop up efforts. The fire is fully contained. Some resources have started the demobilization process; with demobilization continuing as resources are no longer needed. Tomorrow: Fire management will transition to a Type 4 team as of end of shift July 12, 2019. The crews will build upon the mop up efforts of the Type 3 team over the coming week. Smoke: The fire will continue to produce smoke for several days as interior pockets of fuel are consumed. Closures: Temporary road closures in effect for public and fire staff safety...

Malheur National Forest Incident Command Team Type 3 Jeremy Cowie-Incident Commander Wednesday July 10, 2019 Fire: Blue Ridge Fire Containment: 50% Acres: 667 Start Date: July 3, 2019 Cause: Lightning Location: 4 miles NW of Flagtail Lookout Total Personnel: 125 Fuels/Topography: timber Type of resources: 4 Type 2 Crews, 9 Type 6 Engines, 1 Water Tender. Today: Fire size 667 acres: Crews and engines will continue securing the edge of the fire and checking containment lines, while continuing to mop up parts of the perimeter. Tomorrow: Crews and engines will continue mop up with a total containment estimated for Friday, July 12. Smoke: The fire will continue to produce smoke for several days as interior pockets of fuel are consumed. Closures: Temporary road closures in effect for public and fire staff safety on the following roads: Forest Service (FS) Road 2400-054, FS Road 2180-173, FS Road 2180-257, FS Road 2400-275, FS Road 2400-389. For a map and more detailed...

Monday July 8, 2019 Fire: Blue Ridge Fire Containment: 0% Acres: 667 Start Date: July 3, 2019 Cause: Lightning Location: 4 miles NW of Flagtail Lookout Total Personnel: 125 Fuels/Topography: timber Type of resources: 4 Type 2 Crews, 1 Helicopter, 9 Type 6 Engines, 1 Water Tender. Incident Commander- Jeremy Cowie, Clay Waley Trainee 7.5.19: Fire was 10.8 acres. Fire crews reduced fuels around the edge of containment lines. They were able to finish all prep work to be ready for hand and aerial ignitions. 7.6.19: Fire was 22.4 acres. Firing operations were initiated on the north side of the fire with two groups burning fuel adjacent to containment lines to create a blackline and strengthen the control features. Blacklining is the process of burning combustible fuels along perimeter fire lines to aid in fire containment. Firing progressed to encompass half of the planned area. 7.7.19: Fire size 33 acres. A Type 3 helicopter with PSD (plastic sphere dispenser) machine,...

Lightning Caused Fire Reported on Blue Mountain Ranger DistrictJohn Day, Prairie City and Hines, Ore. – The Blue Ridge Fire was discovered as a lightning start on Wednesday, July 3. Malheur National Forest Type 3 Incident Management Team is managing the Blue Ridge Fire on the Blue Mountain Ranger District. Crews are using an indirect strategy that will allow the forest to achieve resource objectives, primarily the reduction of dead and down fuels. This indirect strategy is similar to spring burning, however the source of ignition is a wildfire. These actions will build upon fall 2018 and spring 2019 burning when the Forest safely and successfully accomplished prescribed fire operations on approximately 13,450 acres. These burnout operations will reduce surface fuels (including needle litter and dead and down wood), increase the height of some canopy, reduce small tree densities, and helped promote fire resilient trees, thereby improving our ability to protect communities from...

Incident Summary: The 243 Command Fire started on Monday night, June 3, near Highway 243 and Wanapum Dam. The winds pushed the fire easterly through the Lower Crab Creek Canyon. The fire crews were able to contain it between the canyon’s northern and southern ridges. It is presently 85% contained with 20,380 acres burned. The cause is still under investigation.The fire has been handled by the Southeast Washington Interagency Type 3 Team 3, Tony Gilmer is the Incident Commander.Fire’s Summary: Early the fire was pushed by strong winds from the west. As it was running to the east, air was pushed up and out to its sides. On the south side of the canyon, the fire tried to cross the road and run up the ridge. Crews made sure that fire did not cross that road. The north side of the canyon is sheer vertical with draws. Crews fought to keep the fire from running up these draws. Over the first few days the fire moved east, running and spotting ahead of the flame front. By Wednesday...

In partnership with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Blue Mountain Elk Initiative and Oregon Department of Forestry, fire management officials on the Heppner Ranger District are implementing a large-scale prescribed natural fuel burn today. The Lovlett prescribed burn is anticipated to take 4-5 days to complete and includes 500 acres of grass, brush, timber litter and timber understory south of Sunflower Flat near Lovlett Creek. The objective of the burn is 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...

PENDLETON, Ore. – With the recent warmer and drier weather, fire management officials on the Umatilla National Forest are preparing to implement early season prescribed burning activities as soon as Monday, May 13, across portions of the Forest. “Frequent, low-intensity fire is essential for healthy forests and reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire caused by excessive fuel buildup,” said Andrew Stinchfield, Deputy Fire Staff Officer. Prescribed burning is an effective tool for removing excessive amounts of brush, shrubs, and trees, while also encouraging the growth of native vegetation. In addition to reducing wildfire risk, prescribed fire also improves overall forest health and resilience to insects and diseases, and enhances habitat for elk, deer, and other wildlife. Prescribed burning is also highly dependent on weather conditions, which have to be within a narrow criteria window in order to use prescribed fire. Factors such as wind speed and direction,...

After carefully monitoring conditions across the Forest, fire officials have determined that conditions are within specific parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and fuel moisture to start prescribed fire operations in specifically planned units. Starting at 11 am today Prairie City Ranger District will begin ignitions on Elk 16 Hb, full ignition for the 330 acre unit is scheduled for Friday May 10. Smoke may be visible from Forest Roads 16 and 1420 for several days. Signs will be posted along Forest Road 1420 for public safety. Please use caution while traveling in the area. Emigrant Creek Ranger District fire crews are continuing operations on the Marshall Devine units totaling 2700 acres, Micro unit #5 with 18 acres and Trout unit #9 with 27 acres, this weekend. Moving to Driveway that consists of 4 units, #’s 14, 17, 28, and 26 totaling 99 acres within the coming week and George unit #103 totaling 2000 acres after. Activity will continue depending on...

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, Ore. – After carefully monitoring conditions across the Forest, fire officials have determined that conditions are within specific parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and fuel moisture to start prescribed fire operations in specifically planned units. Emigrant Creek Ranger District fire crews are planning to begin operations on the Marshall Devine units totaling 2700 acres, Micro unit #5 with 18 acres and Trout unit #9 with 27 acres, this weekend. Moving to Driveway that consists of 4 units, #’s 14, 17, 28, and 26 totaling 99 acres within the coming week and George unit #103 totaling 2000 acres after. Activity will continue through the weekend and into coming weeks depending on weather, conditions, and if objectives are being met. Prairie City and Blue Mountain Ranger Districts are continuing to monitor conditions to begin spring prescribed fire activity. For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of...

Fire Staff and Crews Prepare for 2019 Spring Prescribed Fire Operations 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 spring and early summer 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 Thursday, April 25, 2019. Spring burning will build upon efforts in the fall of 2018 when the Forest...

After a very long fire season, the management of the Klondike Fire is being returned to a local Type 4 management organization Monday morning. Patrols will be ongoing in the Agness area. Repairs and patrols will be ongoing from the Cave Junction. The Evacuation Level 1 (READY) will remain in place for all residences in the area of Oak Flat Road, Old House Creek Road and all residents on the north and south sides of the Agness Road (3300) from the Illinois River Bridge to Coon Rock Bridge. The need for this level will be evaluated frequently and reduced as appropriate. For evacuation updates, check the Curry County Sherriff’s Office Facebook page. This will be the last update on the Klondike Fire from Northwest Incident Management Team 8, Doug Johnson, Incident Commander and for the incident unless there is significant activity. The G-mail, Facebook and Inciweb pages for this incident will be suspended today. Any additional information will be posted to the Rogue River – Siskiyou...

The Klondike Fire is being managed from Gold Beach by Northwest Incident Management Team 8 (Team 8), Doug Johnson, Incident Commander, with a camp in Cave Junction. Team 8 is preparing to transition to a local type 4 management organization who will monitor the fire from Agness and Cave Junction. Facebook and Inciweb accounts will be suspended Saturday unless there are any significant changes. An infrared flight over the fire area yesterday detected several heat signatures near containment lines. Firefighters are checking these locations. Restoration of the pastures near the Agness Work Center is underway. Resources will initially focus on fence repairs. Crews and heavy equipment have made significant progress in suppression repair work. Resource advisors are guiding all repairs. Crews will work to clear ditches of Forest Road (FR) 2308 of woody debris and piling the debris for later disposal. An additional local crew will assist with the covering of debris piles created during hazard...

The Klondike Fire is being managed from Gold Beach by Northwest Incident Management Team 8, Doug Johnson, Incident Commander, with a camp in Cave Junction. Fire resources working on suppression repair relocated to the Curry County Fairgrounds in Gold Beach. Restaurants in the Agness area will continue to feed these resources. Restoration of the pastures near the Work Center used as fire camp will be completed by disking, seeding, and fertilizing. Fences will also be repaired. West Zone – Crews and heavy equipment have made significant progress in suppression repair work. Suppression repair is focusing on primary dozer containment lines by installing waterbars and spreading straw. Firefighters are also on the watch for smokes near containment lines and mopping up any heat. East Zone – Road repair work is ongoing along Forest Road (FR) 4105 and FR 2509. All work along FR 25 and FR 2512 has been successfully completed. The goal of repairing roads is to effectively drain water off...