New wildfires emerge in thunderstorms’ wake
About 30 new smoke reports have come in to the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center over the last 24 hours as a result of Sunday’s thunderstorms, and while most have been stopped at less than an acre, crews were fighting two Tuesday.
The Ferguson Springs Fire was spotted Monday afternoon in the Maury Mountains, about nine miles southeast of Prineville Reservoir on the Ochoco National Forest. By Monday night, the fire had grown to about 48 acres, officials said.
Resources working the fire include two hand crews, four engines, a bulldozer and a helicopter, they said.
Elsewhere, there’s a fire of about 2 1/4 acres in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness in the Deschutes National Forest that 10 smokejumpers are actively working on, Tuesday’s update said.
Public use restrictions as well as an Industrial Fire Precaution Level III (IFPL III) are still in place for federal lands in Central Oregon. The public use restriction currently prohibits open fires, including charcoal fires, except in designated campgrounds.
IFPL III means that personal and commercial woodcutters are prohibited from operating power saws. Public use restrictions and the IFPL III apply to the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests, Crooked River National Grassland, and the BLM Prineville District. For details on these specific restrictions, please contact the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center at 541-416-6811.
The South Fork Complex has burned about 70,000 acres five miles south of Dayville around the south fork of the John Day River.The fire is burning in a mix of private, BLM, U.S. Forest Service, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife managed lands.
The South Fork Complex is 78 percent contained with an estimated containment date of Sept. 1. There are continued closures in place due to fire activity. The fire information number for this incident is866-347-0636or find the most recent closures and announcements athttp://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4042/.
The 50-acre Muskrat Fire, first spotted Aug. 7 in the Three Sisters Wilderness of the Deschutes National Forest is now 100 percent contained, with district personnel monitoring existing containment lines, COIDC reported Monday.
Resources and equipment are being released from the fire to be available to respond to other incidents, officials said.
There are still closures in places associated with the Muskrat Fire and other fires in Central Oregon. For maps and information on the current closures associated with wildfires on the Ochoco and Deschutes National Forests, visit their Web page at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/deschutes/alerts-notices or call the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center in Prineville at 541-416-6811.
COIDC said it is prepared to respond to any new fire reports that may come in as a result.
Also new Monday: an emergency closure for public health and safety has been issued for the west side of Waldo Lake due to the Green Lakes Fire. An area closure is now in effect; the closure means several trails, or portions of them are temporarily unavailable for use.
The impacted trails include:
•A portion of the Jim Weaver/Waldo Lake Trail (#3590) starting at its junction with Wahanna Trail (#3583) continuing south to its junction with High Divide Trail (#3572);
•Waldo Mountain Trail (#3592) at its junction with Salmon Lakes Trail (#3585);
•Waldo Meadows Trail (#3591) at its intercept with Cupit Mary Meadows Trail (#3560);
•Koch Mountain Trail (#3576) at the trailhead;
•Black Creek Trail (#3551) at the trailhead;
•High Divide Trail (#3572) at its junction with the Waldo Lake Wilderness boundary;
There are no road closures associated with the Green Lake Fire.
Here’s Monday’s update on fires burning around the state, from the Oregon Department of Forestry:
LARGE FIRES WITHIN ODF PROTECTION
>NEW LARGE FIRES
Gulch Fire (NE Oregon): reported yesterday ( Sunday ) five miles south of Wallowa at 46 acres. The fire is mostly contained and currently in mop-up. Crews will continue to monitor throughout the week.
>UPDATES
Southwest Oregon
Rogue River Drive: located near Shady Cove in Jackson County (15 miles north of Medford), currently at 492 acres, and 70% contained. No structures have been lost. More information: ODF Medford Unit 541-664-3328 | Twitter – www.twitter.com/swofire/ | Southwest Oregon District Blog – http://www.swofire.com/ | NWCC – www.nwccweb.us/information/firemap.aspx
Central Oregon
South Fork Complex (partially on ODF protected lands): these July 31 lightning-caused fires cover 64,990 acres and are 72% contained. A closure is in place on the Malheur and Ochoco National Forests surrounding the fires. More information: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4042/ | Fire Information Office Phone: 1-866-347-0636 www.southforkcomplex.blogspot.com | Twitter @SouthForkInfo | Facebook: South Fork Complex | southforkcomplex@gmail.com
>FIRES ON OTHER JURISDICTIONS IN OREGON
More information on these fires can be found at: http://nwccweb.us/index.aspx and http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/
>FIRE STATISTICS
# of lightning-caused fires YTD & acreage on ODF protected lands: 347 fires/47,709 acres
# of human-caused fires YTD & acreage on ODF protected lands: 457 fires/9,505 acres
Total # & acres on ODF protected lands: 804 fires/57,215 acres
Total # and acres in 2013 on ODF protected lands: 852 fires/103,450 acres
Statewide air quality index readings are available at http://www.deq.state.or.us/aqi/index.aspx .
>OTHER FIRE INFORMATION
ODF maintains a blog at http://wildfireoregondeptofforestry.blogspot.com/ , which includes comprehensive breaking news on wildfires statewide, along with current fire statistics, and a frequently updated Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/ORDeptForestry . For information on wildfires in other jurisdictions within Oregon, go to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center website, http://www.nwccweb.us/ and to the national Incident Information System website at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ . Statewide air quality index readings are available at http://www.deq.state.or.us/aqi/index.aspx .
