16,000-acre Lake County fire prompts evacuation order

( Update: More task forces called to Stubblefield fires; Level 3 evacuations at Lakeview Estates due to Watson Creek Fire)

Central Oregon fire managers said there were no major new fires on the High Desert over the weekend, allowing them to concentrate much of their efforts on major new rangeland fires to the east. Meanwhile, evacuations were ordered Sunday due to a Lake County fire that has grown to more than 16,000 acres.

Here’s the Sunday evening update from Central Oregon Fire Management Services:

The most significant fire activity came from the east side of COFMS-protected lands today. The lightning storm that passed through the area last week started about 25 fires along the John Day River from Priest Hole to the south and Lower John Day WSA to the north –the largest of which is the Stubblefield Fire at 16,700 acres and 29% containment.

The Oregon State Fire Marshall Blue Team along with the Prineville District Bureau of Land Management and Gilliam County are managing several incidents including the Stubblefield Fire, the Seale Fire (8,000 acres and 15% contained) and Lonerock Fire (4,500 acres). There will be a public meeting about these fires on Monday at 7 p.m. at Lonerock Community Hall, 104 SE Main Street.

Evacuations issued by the Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office for Seale, Stubblefield and Lonerock Fires are as follow:

o Level 1:
– West side of Lonerock Road from Lost Valley Road South to the County Line.
– Buckhorn Lane
– Richmond Road, Air Base and Ferry Canyon area.

o Level 2:
– The north end of Ferry Canyon Road and the west end of Richmond Lane.
– East of Lonerock Road and all of City of Lonerock.
– North end of Ferry Canyon Road and the West end of Richmond Lane

The Jennie’s Peak Fire grew significantly Sunday to the south and west and is now 8,000 acres with no containment. A Level 2 evacuation notice was issued at Tadpoor Lane and Twickenham. Burnt Ranch Road is closed at Priest Hole and Priest Hole is closed.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Blue Team ordered three more task forces from Linn, Polk, and Clatsop counties, which arrived Sunday evening. They will bolster the number of boots on the ground protecting homes in south Gilliam County.

The BLM has ordered a Type 2 Incident Management Team to assume command of the Stubblefield, Seale, Buckhorn and Jennie’s Peak Fires burning in Gilliam and Wheeler counties The team is staffed to handle the complexity of managing multiple wildfires. The teams will work together under a unified command structure, with the OSFM team focusing on structure protection and the BLM Type 2 Team coordinating the wildfire suppression.

The Mile Post 6 fire on the Crooked River National Grassland south of Madras is 50 percent contained at 1,500 acres and the campground at Haystack Reservoir has now been downgraded to a Level 1 evacuation notice.

The Spring Creek Fire has been contained at 16 acres. All evacuation levels for Perry South and Monty campgrounds have been lifted.

To the north, the 9,431-acre Tenino Fire on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation was 60 percent contained by Sunday evening, according to Bobby Brunoe, the tribes’ general manager of natural resources.

He said police have dropped a Level 1 (Get Ready) evacuation notice for about 20 homes near Tenino and Seekseequa, where structure-protection task force members were called up Friday in case the flames moved closer.

More crews were arriving Sunday to help the 55 personnel, 10 engines and two bulldozers already on the fire, Brunoe said.

In Lake County, firefighters conducted burnouts Saturday to slow the spread of the 16,227-acre Watson Creek Fire, 13 miles west of Paisley.

About 350 firefighters and several helicopters were working on the fire, which has closed several forest roads on the Fremont-Winema National Forest.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 3 evacuation order Sunday afternoon for Lakeview Estates, north of Campbell and Deadhorse lakes. The fire was one or two miles north of the area, and the evacuations were nearly complete by late afternoon.

More information on that fire is at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6153/.