Graham Fire: Three Rivers evacuation notices lifted
(Update: Evacuation notice lifted)
After three days with no additional perimeter growth and well-established control lines, the Oregon department of Forestry Incident Management Team 2 will be handing management of the Graham Fire in Jefferson County back to Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District Wednesday morning.
Late Tuesday, Jefferson County Undersheriff Marc Heckathorn announced that the latest Level 1 pre-evacuation alert had been lifted.
Control lines around the fire’s perimeter have been mopped up to at least 50 feet. However, local residents may still expect to see occasional smoke from pockets of unburnt fuel smoldering in the fire’s interior. If residents see flames or spot fires, they are advised to call 911.
Resources on the fire Tuesday include 10 hand crews, two helicopters, 17 engines, a bulldozer, three water tenders and 338 personnel. Containment is estimated at 85 percent.
ODF’s Central Oregon District will continue the use of additional engines and fire crews to achieve 100 percent containment. The district strategies will include daily engine patrols and mop up operations.
The Graham Fire was a hot, fast-moving wildfire driven by strong winds, dry conditions and light flashy fuels that burned in the wildland-urban interface in and around the community of Three Rivers, which was placed under Level 3 evacuation orders (since reduced to Level 1).
The firestorm torched trees and produced 100-foot flame lengths, destroying two homes and five other structures.
Thanks to the responsive efforts of local wildland and structural suppression forces as well as prior defensible space created by local residents, the fire was held to 2,175 acres.
Team 2 fire managers leave behind an excellent safety record, the ODF reported. More than 300 personnel were assigned to the incident and no injuries were reported.
ODF’s Central Oregon District will continue to provide occasional updates on the fire status.
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5855/ Central Oregon Fire Info : http://centralorfireinfo.blogspot.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ODFCentralOregon/
