Inciweb Articles OR

 John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (June 7, 2021) 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 tentatively planning to begin ignitions on 200 acres in Silvies 7, Tuesday, June 8.  Silvies 7 is south of National Forest System (NFS) road 31.  ·       Prairie City Ranger District crews continue to monitor for smoke and hot spots on Elk 16 units C and Qa.  Crews are beginning prep work on Unit FB, there is not set date for ignitions on this unit as of now.   ·       Blue Mountain Ranger District crews will continue to patrol Galena 30 and Murderers Creek 6 this week. For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid...

 JOSEPH, Ore. – Cooler temperatures and moderate winds Sunday slowed the spread of the Joseph Canyon Fire, allowing firefighters to work more strategically. “We won today,” said Andy Hayes, the incident commander trainee with the Blue Mountain Type 3 Incident Management Team said. “We didn’t win Saturday (when higher winds challenged firefighters), but we won today.” Additional resources and successful burnout operations along the west side of Cottonwood Creek created the anchor point needed to begin establishing containment lines. Steep, rugged terrain remains the biggest challenge, as firefighter safety is always the first priority. The fire is burning in and around the Grande Ronde and Joseph Creek Areas of Critical Environmental Concern on the Vale District Bureau of Land Management and in the Nez Perce Precious Lands Wildlife Area (Héte’wits Wétes), which is protected by Oregon Department of Forestry. Firefighters are working to protect ecological, geological...

 ·       Emigrant Creek Ranger District – No burning over the upcoming weekend. The district will assess an additional 200 acres in Silvies 7 to burn next week, June 8-9, once the temperature and relative humidity moderates.   ·       Prairie City Ranger District –The district will consider burning Elk 16 FB (1000 ac) late next week if conditions allow. They will patrol units Elk 16 C and Qa over the weekend.   ·       Blue Mountain Ranger District–The district has finished ignitions on Galena unit 30 (714 ac) off the Middle Fork of the John Day River today. They will assess conditions for Galena units 41 and 40C (1000 ac total) starting Friday and into the weekend with hand and helicopter ignitions possible if conditions are conducive. Soda Bear and Starr units in the vicinity of Seneca are being evaluated for ignitions over the next 2 weeks as well.

JOSEPH, Ore. – Extreme winds Saturday challenged air resources battling the Joseph Canyon Fire, but also aided the suppression effort by pushing the active fire line back onto itself in some areas. By the end of the day, the fire footprint was estimated to be 3,700 acres. The fire is burning in northern Wallowa County and southeast Washington about 23 miles southwest of Lewiston, ID. “This is probably one of the most difficult places to fight fire in Oregon,” said Matt Howard, Deputy Agency Administrator for Oregon Department of Forestry. “Joseph Canyon is known for its extreme terrain, communications challenges, and natural hazards.” Northwest 7 Type 2 Incident Management Team is shadowing the interagency Blue Mountain Type 3 Incident Management Team today and will assume command of the fire Monday. Engine crews were able to establish and hold a line along 10 miles of roadway bordering the east side of Cottonwood Creek. They will continue working today to reinforce the...

[Joseph, Ore.]  Lightning activity from thunderstorms passing through the area Thursday night and Friday morning ignited multiple wildfires in the northeast corner of the state. Responding resources have successfully contained some of the ignitions, however others remain active and uncontained. The Joseph Canyon Fire, initially reported Friday morning by Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is burning in steep rugged terrain in the Joseph Canyon area of northern Wallowa County, Oregon. Low humidity, warm temperatures, and breezy winds hampered firefighting efforts Friday and the fire rapidly spread through the grassy vegetation within the canyon and crossed over the state line into Washington. The fire continued to burn actively overnight in the flashy fuels and is estimated to be approximately 2,000 acres. The fire is burning on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and Bureau of Land Management. A local interagency Type 3 team will shadow firefighters...

Crews continue to mop up the burned area today and tomorrow. Mopping up includes searching for pockets of heat, digging out the heat source, and cooling with water. Personnel plan to patrol the burned area through the

Prescribed Fire Operations Update   John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (June 2, 2021) 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 – No burning over the past weekend. The district will assess an additional 200 acres in Silvies 7 to burn this upcoming weekend, June 5-7, once the temperature and relative humidity moderates.   ·       Prairie City Ranger District – Completed burning 140 acres out on Elk 16 QA, Buttermilk Creek area over the past weekend. All three Districts and the Airbase provided resources to assist. The district will consider burning Elk 16 FB (1000 ac) later next week, starting June 10-11.   ·       Blue Mountain Ranger District—The district will begin ignitions in...

Crews on the Pomeroy Ranger District completed ignitions on the Little George Prescribed Fire yesterday.  Smoke may still be seen in the area as firefighters mop-up and cool the perimeter of the burn.  No further ignitions are planned for the day. #GoodFire 

Fire management officials on the Pomeroy Ranger District are implementing a 22-acre prescribed burn within the Little George project area, located approximately 31 miles south of Asotin, Washington.     The Little George prescribed burn is anticipated to take 1 day to complete and primarily consists of slash from recent timber sale activities. The objective of the burn is to reduce wildfire risk through reductions in existing fuel loading. Forest visitors are encouraged to plan ahead and avoid the area during prescribed burning activities.    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://usfs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=ea40c8491fea4805b328ac74cd41429e. The interactive map allows the user to zoom in on certain areas and click on a burn unit for more information (such as acreage, status, etc). When...

 Prescribed Fire Operations Update John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (May 28, 2021) 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 – Is monitoring conditions for further prescribed burning in the coming week.   ·       Prairie City Ranger District – Is planning on burning Elk 16 QA on Sunday if conditions allow.   ·       Blue Mountain Ranger District - Is monitoring conditions for further prescribed burning in the coming week.   For the safety of firefighters and the public, roads and areas of prescribed fire activity will be signed. Please avoid these areas so as not to interfere with ongoing operations. For safety, roads, trails and areas may need to close temporarily as firefighter...

This notice rescinds the amended emergency closure of BLM-administered public lands in the SwiftwaterField Office, Douglas County issued on October 22, 2020, associated with the Archie Creek

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (May 17, 2021) 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 successfully completed Silvies 12, approximately 800 acres.  Crews are tentatively planning to begin ignitions on Silvies 7, 500 acres Monday, May 17 and Tuesday, May 18.  Silvies 7 is south of National Forest System (NFS) road 31.         Prairie City Ranger District fire crews successfully completed 250 acres on Elk 16 C, with approximately 50 acres to complete this week.  The unit is located east of NFS road 16 and NFS road 1675 and west of the North Fork of the Malheur River.  Crews will tentatively begin ignitions on Elk 16 unit QA, 100 acres, the week of May 24.  Blue Mountain Ranger fire crews completed...

John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (May 11, 2021) 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 tentatively planning to start ignitions Wednesday May 12 on Silvies 7, approximately 4000 acres and Silvies 12, approximately 800 acres. These units are located between the Silvies River and Highway (Hwy) 395.  Silvies 7 is south of National Forest System (NFS) road 31 and Silvies 12 is north of NFS road 31.  These units will be implemented at the same time with separate organizations. 

 John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (May 6, 2021) 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 have successfully completed the ignitions on the Marshall Devine Unit B, approximately 800 acres.  Crews will be monitoring the unit area today, doing mop up as needed.  Fire crews will continue to monitor and patrol the unit throughout the weekend.  Residual smoke may cause minimal impact to visibility on Highway 395 between Joaquin Miller Campground and Idlewild Snow Park/Campground. o   Emigrant Creek Ranger District fire crews are tentatively planning to start ignitions on Silvies 7 approximately 4000 acres and Silvies 12, approximately 800 acres early next week.  These units are located between the...

 John Day, Prairie City and Hines, OR. – (May 4, 2021) 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 Tuesday, May 4, on Marshall Devine Unit B, approximately 800 acres.  This unit is on the east side of Highway 395, beginning near Joaquin Miller campground and ending near Idlewild Snow Park/Campground.  Fire activity will be visible along the highway.  Visitors to the area are advised to be prepared for fire vehicles and smoke in the area.      ·      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 prescribed fire...