Grant County fire spreads south as outpouring of help grows

The Canyon Creek Complex Fire that destroyed at least 26 homes near Canyon City and damaged over 100 other structures late Friday had grown to 40,000 acres by Monday and was spreading to the south, threatening the small community of Seneca, officials said.

Officials said the fire was growing toward the south and still at zero containment, with structural protection the highest priority. More fire crews, including hotshot crews, arrived on the fire lines Monday as the destructive blaze became the nation’s top priority (taking that spot after the danger eased at Warm Springs).

Canyon City area resident Eva Harris feared she’d return home to ashes — and was grateful to learn otherwise.

“It’s devastating. You really don’t have a lot of time to think about it,” Harris said Monday. “I helped one of my neighbors evacuate, and I was so glad that they were safe. And then I still had to go up and see my own place. I lost two of the outbuildings — and that’s just okay, because I still have a home.”

A growing army of firefighters dug lines by hand in steep terrain bulldozers could not reach. Along with helicopters dropping buckets of water, fire crews from Bend, Sisters-Camp Sherman, La Pine and Cloverdale joined hundreds of others protecting homes and keeping the area safe.

Ironically, Seneca, the town of about 200 23 miles south of Canyon City, is known by many for its place in the weather record books: the coldest official temperature recorded in Oregon: -54 F (-48 C) in 1933.

The tally remained at 26 homes destroyed and over 100 structures damaged, with over 500 threatened. The fire grew little Sunday and was mapped at 40,132 acres Monday, but still at zero containment. The firefighting force had grown to to 473 people, 35 engines, 15 bulldozers, 16 water tenders and a helicopter.

Clothing, food and livestock feed are pouring into John Day to help the 26 families who lost their homes in a wind-driven wildfire.

Grant County Commissioner Boyd Britton told The Associated Press on Monday that they are a poor county, but generous.

The fires were started by lightning on Tuesday, and on Friday one of them jumped containment lines and roared up a canyon south of Canyon City, driven by 40 mph winds.

Curt Qual says he and his wife Cindy were able to get out with some important papers and possessions packed in their camper, but the house was burned to the ground when they returned.

He says the outpouring of compassion has been overwhelming, with free meals from local restaurants, a gift certificate from the supermarket and U-Haul trailers rolling into town loaded with clothing, bedding and other supplies from neighboring communities.

Here’s the fire managers’ Monday morning update:

This fire continues to challenge firefighters due to the extremely dry conditions, rugged terrain and afternoon winds. The Canyon Creek Complex has now burned 40,100 acres. Additional firefighting resources continue to arrive from around the state and country. More than 300 firefighters are currently assigned and more are anticipated to arrive to assist with the Canyon Creek Complex.

Yesterday air tankers and helicopters supported hand crews as they worked digging fireline in terrain too rugged for bulldozers. Late in the afternoon air tankers were diverted to a new fire that was burning nearby, however helicopters continued fight the fire.

Structural firefighters worked to protect homes and to determine the number of houses lost to the fire during the extreme wind event that occurred on Aug. 14.. Fire activity increased on the southern portion of the fire, near Dry Soda Lookout. Firefighters worked through the night to protect houses and to reinforce fireline.

Sunday afternoon two community meetings were held at the high school. Community members who have lost homes and property to this fire attended the first meeting and the second meeting provided fire information to the general public.

More than 50 people attended the first meeting, and over 220 people attended the second. Available information included the current and expected fire behavior, available resources for relief and recovery and a brief history of the situation. Speakers included local officials and firefighting personnel.

Today, the fire managers expect weather similar to yesterday, however the possibility of unpredictable winds exists. Firefighters continue working to improve total fire containment and line strengthening in the North. Today we will have a special focus with new resources on the South flank where activity is increasing. Firefighting aircraft will be used aggressively to keep this fire in check, however those resources can be diverted to new fires at a moments notice.

Communities under Level 3 and Level 2 evacuations:

Level 3: Dog Creek-south of Marysville

Marysville South

Pine Creek – Gravel Pit, South

Canyon Creek

Edgewood Drive

Level 2: Laycock Creek Adams Drive

Nans Rock Rd West Bench Rd

Luce Creek Marysville North

Pine Creek – Gravel Pit, North

Dog Creek-north of Marysville

An American Red Cross shelter has been established at the Mt. Vernon Community Center at 640 Ingle Street. Donations can be brought to the fairgrounds pavilion between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

The Red Cross is transitioning to providing financial and relief services for displaced residents. Those wishing to make monetary donations on behalf of displaced residents can contact the American Red Cross Mountain River Chapter at redcross.org/cascades or in person at the shelter located on Ingle Street in Mt. Vernon. Other donations are being accepted at the pavilion at the fairgrounds in John Day.

Closures

An emergency fire closure is in effect in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness area. A copy of the closure order and map is available at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4495/ Forest Service personnel have assisted with escorting campers and other recreationalists out high-use areas, coordinating with Grant County Sheriff’s Office and other local agencies to facilitate the closure.

Additional information on the Canyon Creek Complex can be found on Inciweb at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4495/.

Please be advised of increased fire traffic and smoky conditions throughout the area. Forest officials ask that the public stay clear of all fire activities. Power lines have been damaged by fire and some residents may be using generators. Without an automatic cutoff switch, generators can pose an extreme hazard to power company employees due to back-feeding, please don’t plug generators into the electrical system without an approved cutoff device.

Firefighting resources remain scarce due to the high number of fires burning regionally, however this fire is a very high priority both within the state and nationally. As other incidents wind down fire crews and equipment become available and if requested by commanders they are assigned to the Canyon Creek Complex. Firefighters will continue to work hard until this situation is brought to an end.

Additional fire information can be found at JDIDC – BICC sites online at: http://bicc-jdidc.org/index.shtml.

For more information on the Malheur National Forest, please visit us at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur, follow U.S. Forest Service- Malheur National Forest on Facebook, and follow @MalheurNF on Twitter for all the latest forest news.

To report a fire, contact the John Day Interagency Dispatch Center at 541-575-1321 or the Burns Interagency Communication Center at 541-573-1000.

Email Address: canyoncreekcomplex@gmail.com

Facebook: Great Basin National Incident Management Team 1

Highway 395 remains closed for safety reasons, officials said, noting that power lines also had been damaged along the roadway.

“This fire is a high priority within the state for receiving critical resources when they become available,” a Sunday night update said.

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Kandra Kent’s Saturday story:

Dean Fox fought for his home as long as he could.

“Embers were straight at me,” the Canyon Creek resident recalled Saturday, recounting the night as he stood by his home’s smoking ruins. “We would have to keep hosing ourselves down, because it was so hot.”

“I feel for everybody,” Fox said of the hundreds of others hit by the devastation.

Friday’s fierce fire sent up towering smoke plumes and forcing hundreds of evacuees to flee to safety.

On Saturday, an inversion kept the smoke close to the ground and slowed the fire, but when it lifted later in the day, that allowed planes to get in to battle the flames.

Thick smoke, heavy fuels and steep terrain were challenging for firefighters. And residents, like those at the John Day Saturday Market, were nervously waiting to see what happens next.

In a community of just a few thousand people, everyone knows everybody, and the pain is shared intensely.

“Thank you firefighters” signs blossomed, with support for those who have suffered and those battling the blaze as thick as the smoke.

“My prayers truly go out to every single one of them that’s been affected,” a young lady said on the streets of John Day.

Residents who live in the burn zone were returning to retrieve anything that’s left — if they could get there, as wooden bridges also burned.

Chimneys stand out above the rubble in the smoke — and some homes amazingly stand untouched, as do seven chickens in a coop that survived a night that saw the adjacent home lost.

“There was nothing we could do — it was gone,” Fox said. “It all can be replaced, but there’s a lot of sentimental stuff there.”