Rain helps crews battle wildfire near John Day
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters and rainfall have blunted a grass fire threatening the Eastern Oregon town of John Day.
The National Weather Service says the overnight showers, two of them, amounted to about a tenth of an inch.
That dampened the grass and slowed the flames enough for authorities to lift the be-ready-to-leave notices given to neighborhoods at the edge of town of 1,700 people, where the firefighting force has raised to 600 perople.
As of noon, the Gouse Mountain Fire, part of the GC Complex, was at 11,500 acres and zero percent containment, with containment hoped for by Aug. 18. A public meeting was planned for 5 p.m. at the Malheur National Forest Supervisor’s Office at 431 Patterson Bridge Road.
Resident Sherri Lundbom said “things are looking real good” at midday Friday, after the rain and “a lot of extra help from other communities as far away as LaGrande, Baker City and too many others to name.” She said the fire still was not contained, but crews “hope to get a line around it today, if the winds don’t flare up like yesterday.”
A pre-evacuation order on the north end of the fire was lifted after the rain and firefighters’ efforts eased the threat.
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber declared the Grouse Mountain fire, burning just north of town, a conflagration, allowing a call-up of more resources to protect dozens of homes on the town’s northern side, officials said Friday.
The late Thursday evening declaration authorized the state fire marshal to mobilize structural firefighters and equipment to assist local resources battling the fire and working to protect structures. About 75 structures are threatened, the Oregon Department of Forestry said in the Friday morning update.
The conflagration request was made by Grant County Fire Defense Board Chief Ron Smith.
“With the fires approaching John Day and the Malheur National Forest, the State Fire Marshal and the Department of Forestry are working closely together with the local community to minimize threats to people and property,” said Kitzhaber. “I have directed all available state resources to help contain the fire and ensure that nearby communities have every resource necessary to protect their citizens.”
This emergency is declared only for the fires in Grant County and was effective immediately. The fire was previously estimated to be 2,000 acres, but has grown over the past 24 hours due to changing wind directions, and is estimated at 11,500 acres, according to the Blue Mountain Eagle, quoting fire officials.
Crews battled the fire overnight, and pre-evacuation notices had been issued to residents near the fire.
The state fire marshal’s office has activated command and control elements of the Blue Incident Management team to manage the structural protection resources that have been deployed.
Three structural task forces have been activated to assist. A combined task force from Baker and Union counties is currently on scene. A second task force from Yamhill Counties is on their way to the fire.
The Grouse Mountain Fire is one of a number of fire starts in Grant County called the GC Complex (“GC” for Grant County) from lightning in the area Wednesday.
The fire made a significant push early Thursday evening when wind direction abruptly changed. Aided by strong north winds, fire runs have approached the limits of John Day along the northern boundary of the city. At this time, there is no report of any damage to structures.
The fire is east of Highway 395, which remains open, but fire-related traffic in the area may be heavy.
Current weather forecasts predict continued chances for lightning and erratic winds through the weekend. Safety hazards for fire fighters include rattlesnakes and falling snags.
Oregon’s conflagration may be invoked only by the governor and allows the state fire marshal to dispatch structural firefighters and equipment. More information on Conflagration and Emergency and emergency mobilization is OSFM website: http://www.oregon.gov/OSP/SFM/Oregon_Mob_Plan.shtml .
Additional resources on surviving wildfires may be accessed at: http://www.oregon.gov/osp/SFM/docs/Comm_Ed/WUI/After_a_wildfire.pdf.
The Blue Mountain Eagle newspaper has been posting updates on its Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MyEagleNews), including one late Thursday night that indicated an assisted living center’s residents were moved to the town’s Elks Lodge, though there was no official evacuation notice. But a storm that brought “an abundance of rainfall” prompted plans to have them return to their facility.
The newspaper reported Friday morning that the fire had grown to an estimated 11,500 acres after jumping lines Thursday and whipping across the hills on the northern edge of John Day. It said firefighters would keep working on containment lines and protected structures.
They also reported late Thursday that police had closed four blocks Bridge Street in John Day, allowing only local and fire traffic, and that residents were asked to avoid the north part of town.