InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

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...

Last night’s infrared flight showed a total of 1030 acres burned by fires within the South Umpqua Complex. Six of the higher priority fires are listed below: The Miles Fire, 2.5 miles west of Hawk Mountain and east of Tison Road, grew to about 300 acres in spite of retardant drops and dozer work. Douglas Forest Protective Association is overseeing the work on the private side of this fire. The Cripple Creek Fire, 3 miles south of Cougar Butte and 1 mile north of Jackson Creek, is 35 acres and lined. Railroad Gap Fire, in northern Jackson County, 3 miles NNE of Round Top, has burned 33 acres and needs additional work before mop-up begins. The Columbus Fire will eventually burn together with the HD Fire, about 2 miles south of Cover Campground. These two fires have burned 200 acres to date and no containment has been achieved. Lines constructed during last year’s High Cascades Complex will be re-opened to contain the fires. The Snowshoe Fire, located in Jackson County,...

Camp Sekani and Sheilds Park Rock Climbing Area remain

Upriver Beacon Fire UPDATE July 19, 2018 0800 Hours 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, utility crews from Avista and Inland Power made good progress in repairing infrastructure that was damaged during the first hours of the fire. Firefighters also worked overnight to strengthen containment lines and identify hot spots. Today crews will be out on the line and will focus on areas of the fire that had been previously unsafe to access due to power lines that were down. Firefighters will have one helicopter available to use if warranted. Cooling hot spots and strengthening containment lines will be top priority again today. Camp Sekani and Shields Park Climbing Rocks remain closed. Citizens are asked to stay clear of the area in and...

Cemetery Fire Update Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 8, Incident Commander, Doug Johnson July 19, 2018 - 9:00 AM General Updates: Significant progress was made by firefighters to create a cold, black line between the fire and the fireline yesterday. There was no movement of the fire perimeter. The fire continues to smoke and creep around in the islands of unburned fuels within the fire perimeter. An infrared flight last night showed the majority of heat remaining in the timbered areas and cooled in the grasslands. Values at Risk include grazing and private lands, Greater Sage Grouse habitat, and timber. Acres: 1,414 Containment: 50% 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 is in effect today from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm for low humidity,...

The acreage of the Hendrix fire has been updated to 717 acres determined from a heat detecting infrared flight which was flown overnight. The fire growth was primarily to the southeast of the fire where spot fires were able to get established.

Air Quality Information– The National Weather Service has issued an air quality alert for Jackson County in effect until 11 AM on Thursday: https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=mfr&wwa=air%20quality%20alert The following link takes you to the Oregon Department of Environmental – Air Quality Monitoring Data: https://oraqi.deq.state.or.us/home/map At the time of this posting, in the community of Talent the air quality is rated as “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”. Jackson County Health and Human Services posted an article titled “Checking the Air Quality During a Wildfire Smoke Event” which contains good information and links for concerned citizens. An attached image shows the smoke in the air today above the Hendrix Fire.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) has issued evacuation notices near the Hendrix Fire. The following information was released by the JCSO this afternoon (July 18).

Crews working on the Silver Creek Fire overnight used an infrared camera to look for hot spots within the fire’s perimeter. Results show crews have made good progress with mop-up operations as they continue to improve lines and extinguish remaining heat. The fire remains at 27 acres and is now 65% contained. Approximately 115 personnel continue to work on the fire. Most of the snags that have posed a threat to firefighter safety are now removed, though some hazard trees remain. Smoke can still be seen from areas of remaining heat, which includes several large standing trees that continue to smolder. Crews will remain focused on mop up for the next couple days. Visitors to Silver Falls State Park will find pleasant conditions. Light smoke may be visible at times, but heavy smoke is unlikely. Other fires burning in the region may be responsible for increased haze in the area. While some closures remain in the Park, there are no interruptions to scheduled events. Waterfall areas...

Esta es la última actualización emitida para este incidente Resumen del incidente: el incendio Rocky Reach comenzó en la ladera sudoeste de Burch Mountain aproximadamente a cinco millas al noreste de Wenatchee, Washington el 13 de julio por la tarde. Comenzó quemando hierba y maleza, y como se extendió rápidamente amenazó varias residencias lo que provocó avisos de evacuación de nivel 1 para los vecindarios de Burch Mountain y Swakane Canyon. Fuerzas del distrito de bomberos del Condado de Chelan #1, el Bosque Nacional de Okanogan y el Departamento de Recursos Naturales de Washington respondieron y trabajaron toda la noche. Reconociendo la creciente complejidad del incidente, un equipo de gestión de incidentes interinstitucional tipo 3 (IMT por sus siglas en inglés) bajo el mando del comandante de incidentes Kimiko Nalle fue movilizado el 14 de julio para asumir el mando del incidente. Hoy: las cuadrillas continuaron apagando puntos calientes y patrullando las...