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Contact: Dave Schmitt, Public Information Officer (541-519-1460) Incident Summary Initial report: July 30, 2019 Cause: Lightning Approximate size: 1,683 acres (Aug. 6, 10:00pm PST)Personnel assigned: Incident Commander, Trainee Incident Commander, Public Information Officer, Strategic Operational Planner, two Fire Effects Monitors, and a four-person Fire Module Resources assigned: Type 3 helicopterResources available: Type 1 helicopter, fixed wing aircraftJoseph, Oregon – Fire activity yesterday was low to moderate across the Granite Gulch Fire. The southwest portion of the fire was the most active. The fire module crew began installing pumps, hose, and sprinklers to protect the Elk Creek Bridge across the Minam River as a precaution in case the fire moves in that direction. They will complete that installation today. Fire managers continue to follow a confinement strategy as they actively manage the fire. The long-term objective is to keep the fire within the upper Minam drainage...

Type 2 Interagency Management Team to take command of HK Complex PENDLETON, Ore. – Firefighters have made progress on the majority of the wildfires caused by the recent thunderstorms. Concentrated lightning activity occurred across portions of the Forest last night. New smoke reports are anticipated throughout the next few days as the weather conditions remain hot and dry. Two new fires were discovered yesterday within the boundary of the HK Complex, which consists of 13 lightning fires burning on the Heppner Ranger District near the Alder Creek Skookum Trailhead, approximately 15 miles north of Monument, Oregon. The total acreage of all fires within the HK Complex is now estimated at 1,500 acres and the fires are burning in grass, brush and timber. The largest of the fires within the complex is estimated at 125 acres. Yesterday fire behavior consisted of torching, spotting and active running. Hot and dry conditions, as well as strong winds, contributed to rapid growth on the...

Media advisory: This will be the final formal fire update for the Milepost 97 Fire unless significant change occurs. We will continue to post information at www.facebook.com/milepost97fire and https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6461.The fire remains 13,119 acres and is now 65 percent con-tained, a 10 percent increase in the last 24 hours. The Milepost 97 Fire started the evening of July 24 at 10:00 p.m. as the result of an abandoned, and illegal, campfire. While firefighters from the Douglas Forest Protective Association and local rural fire districts con-verged on the fire within 15 to 30 minutes, the fire had established itself in an unmanaged forested area covered with overgrown brush and snags; leftovers from the 1987 Canyon Mountain fire that was part of the first Douglas Complex. The fire would bring with it many complexities: multiple land ownerships including private, state, federal and tribal trust lands; a major power line and natural gas pipeline dissecting the middle of the...

Contact: Dave Schmitt, Public Information Officer, 541-519-1460Incident Summary Initial report: July 30, 2019Cause: LightningApproximate size: 950-1000 acres (Aug. 5, 9:00pm PST)Personnel assigned: Incident Commander, Trainee Incident Commander, Public Information Officer, Strategic Operational Planner, two Fire Effects Monitors, and four-person Fire Module Resources assigned: Type 3 helicopterResources available: Type 1 helicopter and fixed wing aircraft Joseph, Oregon – Forest Service fire managers ordered a helicopter to drop water along the western and southern perimeter of the Granite Gulch Fire yesterday and today. At this time, the objectives of these suppression actions are to reduce the fire’s intensity while preventing its spread across the Minam River to the south or downstream to the west. There is currently no fire across the Minam River, and in the short term, firefighters will continue to suppress any fire that may cross the river. Tactics will include aviation...

Today’s numbers are in. The fire remains 13,119 acres and is now 65% contained . 1,187 total personnel 50 hand crews 6 helicopters (2 Type 1, 2 Type 2, 2 Type 3) 35 engines 12 dozers 28

Fire Summary:Containment on the Milepost 97 Fire has reached 55 percent. The size of the fire remains 13,119 acres. Mop up operations will continue over the next several days.All evacuation level notifications have been lifted. While no evacuation levels are in effect, southern Oregon residents are encouraged to “be ready” (level 1) throughout the course of fire season, as fire can strike and threaten communities anytime during the heat of the summer. While weather forecasters are predicting calmer conditions today, fire-fighters can still expect temperatures and humidity to be hotter and drier than normal respectively.Today marks the 70th anniversary of 1949’s Man Gulch Fire that took the lives of seven smokejumpers. As we look back on this tragic event, we ask that everyone keep all firefighters in their thoughts during this fire season. Finally, the Milepost 97 Fire was started by an illegal campfire. Fire person-nel throughout Oregon continue to respond to abandoned...

Fire Summary: Containment on the Milepost 97 Fire has reached 50 percent. But saying that firefighters have reached the halfway point of putting the fire out is an understatement. Hand line, dug by fire crews, and bull dozer constructed line completely surround the 13,119 acre fire.The majority of the work that lies before them is mopping up, or preventing hot spots from flaring up and crossing established containment lines.A high pressure weather system will remain over the fire today that will produce high temperatures and low humidity. The public may see areas of smoke rising from well within the interior of the fire where unburned pockets of fuel exist.A level one evacuation notification remains in effect for public safety. Level one means that residents should be “ready” to evacuate if conditions warrant. Fire officials say that many areas of Oregon should consider themselves in level one when fire season is in effect.Cooperators assisting partner agencies ODF, DFPA and BLM...

Fire Summary:Firefighters assigned to the Milepost 97 Fire had another successful day on Friday, completing fire lines around the entire perimeter of the fire. No additional fire growth was reported on Friday and the fire remains at 13,085 acres and is 45% contained. Pre-identified initial attack resources on the Milepost 97 Fire, including both ground and aviation resources, were sent to the East Evans Fire, a new fire start Friday evening on the Or-egon Department of Forestry's Southwest Oregon District. With containment lines in place, resources working on the Milepost 97 Fire will now focus their energy on mopping up hot spots around the perimeter of the fire to ensure that it doesn’t escape containment. Crews will start at the edge of the fire, extinguishing all smokes and smoldering material within the first 20 – 50 feet of containment lines before pushing farther into the black. Firefighters will utilize handheld infrared cameras to help pinpoint hotspots in these areas...

TODAY'S NUMBERS. The fire is now 13,119 acres and 50% contained .1,371 total personnel58 hand crews18 helicopters (8 Type 1, 6 Type 2, 4 Type 3)40 engines17 dozers32

The fire is now 45 percent contained. Firefighters will continue mopping in from the perimeter throughout the week to prevent flare ups and further spread.Today’s numbers are in. The fire is now 45% contained. 1,514 total personnel60 hand crews18 helicopters (8 Type 1, 6 Type 2, 4 Type 3)47 engines26 dozers32 tendersA full fire update will be released in the morning with updated acres determined from an IR

Fire Summary #Milepost97Fire:Firefighters continued to improve fire line on Friday with the majority of the perimeter of the fire in mop up. The northwest corner of the fire remained active with a burnout operation planned today to improve the line with firefighters focusing on locating unburned pockets within the interior and felling hazard trees.The fire had minimal growth since yesterday, adding only 15 acres to 13,085 acres total. Those added acres were due to burnout operations, expanding and improving containment lines along the northwest portion of the fire.A community meeting was held at North Valley high school yesterday, evening, with agency representatives from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) providing background on the initial attack of the fire and the ongoing objectives to minimize impacts to BLM managed public O and C, state, tribal and private lands. To monitor and address smoke...

Today’s numbers are in. The fire is now 35% contained. 1,482 total personnel58 hand crews18 helicopters (8 Type 1, 6 Type 2, 4 Type 3)43 engines26 dozers32 tendersA full fire update will be released in the morning with updated acres burned from an IR

Thank you to the community that tuned in to our Facebook Live broadcast this evening. If you would like to see the recorded broadcast, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/Milepost97Fire/videos/365701477428368/ Firefighters continued to make progress today with fire containment up to 30%. A burnout operation along the southeastern edge of the fire was successful, with 100% of the area plumbed with ongoing hazard tree removal and patrols monitoring for spot fires. Total resources assigned to the fire are currently at 1,505 total personnel - 51 hand crews, 17 helicopters (Type 1, 2, and 3) 43 engines, 23 dozers, 31 water tenders. A community meeting to provide an update on the fire and regional smoke impacts will be held at North Valley highschool on August 1, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. Additional information will be provided in updates tomorrow.

Joseph, Oregon On Sunday, a member of the public notified local officials of a small fire in a remote area of the Eagle Cap Wilderness of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Firefighters flew over the fire to take a closer look, and they have since been closely monitoring the situation.The lightning-caused Granite Gulch Fire is approximately 20 acres in size and located in the upper reaches of the Minam River valley, approximately two miles west of Granite Mountain and north of the drainage. It is far from private lands, structures, or improvements. Fire growth has been limited so far. Most of the fire perimeter is smoldering and creeping, although there is some spotting and active surface fire in pockets of dead and down fuels. Fuels include fir, ponderosa pine, and white bark pine. The fire is burning in steep terrain and moving upslope. "When the Granite Gulch Fire is active, smoke may be visible from the Baker and Grande Ronde valleys," said Nathan Goodrich, District Fire...

Douglas Forest Protective Association Board of Directors’ President Rick Barnes addressed fire crews at this morning’s briefing stating that the fire-fighters have earned their respect and appreciation for the tremendous effort they have put forward. Barnes shared that all landowners impacted by the fire couldn’t have asked for a finer effort from DFPA, the incident management team, and all other fire personnel. Firefighters took advantage of another favorable weather day by providing direct attack around much of the fire’s perimeter. Given the conditions, large burnout operations that were planned for the day, were not necessary. Fire crews were able to preserve nearly 3,000 acres of timberland, and possibly save tens of thousands of dollars in fire suppression costs by building line right up against the fire. Containment increased to 25 percent while fire growth was held to its low-est in a 24-hour period since the fire started July 24th. The fire bulged slightly at the...

The Granite Gulch fire was ignited by lightning during a storm that rolled through the area on July 14th. It went unnoticed until Sunday July 28th when it was reported by hikers. Fire personnel were sent in to monitor and record fire behavior, weather, and fuel moisture to aid in modeling the fire spread potential over the coming months, the peak of fire season in the Northwest. On July 29th, the size was estimated at 25 acres.

The numbers are in. The fire is now 25% contained. Updated acres from the IR flight will be posted in our full update in the morning. Firefighters are having success establishing control lines around the fire. Mop up operations (cooling hot spots from the perimeter towards the interior of the fire) are commencing in many areas. And P.S. Thank you for the support we see in the

Milepost97Fire UpdateSummary:Firefighters have made excellent progress on the Milepost 97 fire. Favora-ble forecasts provided by the fire’s incident meteorologist came to fruition yesterday allowing crews to establish control lines in several key areas. The continued moderate weather should allow for burn out operations planned for today that will help remove unburned fuel between control lines and the main fire.The fire has grown to 12,336 Acres and is now 15 Percent contained.Firefighters are focusing much of the suppression effort on the south por-tion of the fire near I-5 to prevent further spread towards communities. Mop up operations have begun around the north end of the fire to further secure containment lines. Crews and equipment are also continuing to construct contingency control lines along ridges and existing road systems to the west of the fire.The use of aircraft continues to be effective on much of the fire. Air sup-port helps to cool the fire’s edge so that...

Today's numbers for the Milepost 97 Fire. Fresh acreage will be available in the morning following the infrared flight with a full fire update.11,668 acres15% contained586 structures threatened9 firefighter injuriesNo change in evacuation levels: 1, 2, 3 still in effect.1,358 total personnel - 52 hand crews13 helicopters (Type 1, 2, and 3)41 engines47 dozers22 water

Fire Summary:“Today’s a great day for opportunity.” Those were the words from Link Smith to firefighters at this morning’s day shift briefing. Smith serves as the Incident Commander for the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team overseeing the suppression effort.The fire has grown to 11,668 acres and is 10 percent contained.The opportunity he is referring to is weather. A marine layer is expected to enter the area today, bringing with it cooler temperatures, some cloud cover, and elevated humidity. These conditions should allow fire crews closer access to the fire’s edge and the ability to perform burn out operations that removes forest fuels between established control lines and the main fire.The fire continues to move at a slow pace on a southerly path, paralleling the freeway. Firefighters and aircraft are focusing much of the suppression effort on this south portion of the fire to prevent further spread towards communities. More than 500 structures are...