More crews, Guard arrive to fight SW Oregon wildfires

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. (AP) – Firefighters are facing hot, dry and breezy conditions as they work to contain a complex of 13 wildfires burning in southwest Oregon.

Fire officials say more than 1,800 firefighters and 30 aircraft were battling the Garner Complex fire in Jackson and Josephine counties on Sunday. Troops from the National Guard have also arrived to help.

The group of fires have scorched about 12 square miles (about 8,000 acres) and were about 10 percent contained as of Sunday morning.

Fire spokesman Don Hickman says crews are very focused as they work in hot conditions and steep terrain.

Meanwhile, fire officials say they’ve made significant progress containing a deadly wildfire that has burned wheat fields and grasslands near The Dalles.

The Substation Fire has burned more than 123 square miles (nearly 80,000 acres) and was 82 percent contained as of Sunday morning.

Here are Sunday’s updates on those two fires, as well as the Timber Crater 6 Fire in Crater Lake National Park:

Garner Complex:

Last night, crews continued to tighten and secure control lines. They continue to evaluate where to place containment lines around the Grave Creek and Taylor Creek fires.

The Grave fire continued to spread toward Pleasant Creek Road. The State Fire Marshal’s Team was in place, working to triage and surface prep around houses to support the wildland firefighters.

Overnight, the Taylor Fire continued to spread as crews work to tighten direct fire lines when possible and work on contingency lines. The fire has spread on the south side onto Forest Service ground. Overnight, the State Fire Marshal’s had three Task Forces in place working to assess and surface prep near homes.

The three Spencer Fires, King Mountain Fire, and Swamp Fire have been lined, plumbed and are in mop-up. The Pleasant Fire and Ditch Creek Fire are still having control lines completed by hand and equipment.

Today there will be 30 aircraft working on the fires including three air tankers. The aircraft time follows strict federal aviation laws regarding the amount they can fly every day .

Equipment either for fire camp such as tables and chairs or fire line equipment necessary for fighting fires on order from the Incident Management Team is in short supply due to all of the fires in the region. We continue to place orders with Redmond Cache, who have to prioritize for all regional fires to fill orders.

DEFINITIONS: Control lines: A term used for all constructed or natural fire barriers used to control a fire. Containment: When firefighters or other resources stop the forward progress of a fire with secured control lines.

CURRENT EVACUATION ORDERS: Level 2 Limpy Cr. Rd, Level 1 for Riverbank Rd., Dutcher Creek Rd. and all secondary roads and streets from Limpy Cr to Pickett Cr. Pleasant Creek Rd: Levels 2 and 3. Grave Cr. Rd is Level 3 north of intersection with Ditch Cr. Rd. Pickett Rd and all cross roads are Level 2 and West Picket Rd. s Level 3. A Red Cross Shelter is set up at the Grants Pass High School at 830 NE 9th Street in Grants Pass. 541-474-5710.

Additional resources may be accessed at:

Oregon State Fire Marshal Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/OregonStateFireMarshal/

Substation Fire:

More accurate mapping shows that the Substation Fire covered 79,121 acres. Containment reached 82% by Saturday evening. Fire behavior was minimal, with some smoldering in hotspots in Deschutes River corridor and Eight-Mile Canyon. The Oregon State Fire Marshall Red Team is demobilizing today.

The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office have reduced the evacuation levels for all areas to Level 1. More information about the Ready, Set, Go preparation program can be found at http://www.wildlandfirersg.org

Crews will continue their work to reinforce and overhaul containment lines as they ensure areas are cool to the touch for a distance of 150 feet from the fire edge or any structures. Within the perimeter of the fire, and especially in the burned area in the Deschutes River Canyon, smoke in the interior of the burn may be present and visible for multiple days.

Access to the Deschutes River is open. However, boaters should use caution and may have to pull off in areas that have recently burned if they plan to camp between Macks Canyon and Heritage Landing. Black areas may still have hot spots, dangerous stump holes or rolling material. Use caution when setting up camp. Avoid standing trees and snags in recently burned areas that may be weakened by the fire and are at risk of falling.

It is extremely dry across the region – just one spark can start a major fire. Avoid parking in dry grass, discard cigarette butts in closed containers and be aware of local restrictions on campfires or fire use. Sparks from vehicles and other mechanical and motorized equipment (dragging chains and tie-downs, failed bearings, flat tires, catalytic converter failure, worn brake pads, hot exhaust systems) are a leading cause of human-caused wildfires.

Percent contained: 82% Total personnel: 263 firefighters Fire size: 79,121 acres

For additional information:

http://www.centraloregonfire.org/; https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/5963/

Timber Creek 6 Fire

Crater Lake National Park, OR : The Timber Crater 6 Fire is managed by Northwest Incident Management Team 9. At this morning’s operational briefing, Incident Commander Brian Goff emphasized that the objectives are to provide for public and firefighter safety, to protect high values at risk (life, property and critical infrastructure), and execute an aggressive full-suppression strategy to control the Timber Crater 6 Fire as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The Timber Crater 6 Fire now stands at 1,190 acres and is zero percent contained. The incident is staffed with 340 firefighters and support personnel. Two helicopters are assigned to the fire.

Yesterday, firefighters conducted low-intensity burn operations on US Forest Service land to the east of this fire. Controlled burns consume fuels in the path of the fire. When the main fire reaches this burned area, there is no fuel to burn, stopping the fire. These burn operations will continue today, with the intent of stopping the fire’s wind-driven easterly progress towards Highway 97. Fire crews will then turn to the west and continue a direct attack to flank the fire and pinch off its progress. Firefighters are also doing the ground work to prepare for further burn operations along the north and south flanks to contain the fire.

Today, if available, two CL-415 amphibious water bomber planes will be used to slow the fires progress and support firefighters on the ground. The aircraft, both helicopters and bombers are dropping only water, and not fire retardants in the park.

Smoke from the many fires burning across the Northwest Region continues to flow into the Crater Lake National Park by prevailing winds. At times, this has resulted in reduced visibility and lower air quality. This pattern will continue until fires to the west of Crater Lake National Park can be extinguished, especially those in the Rogue-Siskyou National Forest. The Timber Crater 6 Fire and strategic burn operations have generated smoke, but the majority of the smoke visible in the park is from other fires in the region.

At this time the Timber Crater 6 Fire is not a threat to park attractions or to visitors. All areas in the Crater Lake National Park are open. There are no road closures related to the fire in the park. Please respect all park fire restrictions. Campfires are only allowed in designated campfire rings.

Weather conditions the region today may produce more active fire behavior. High temperatures will be in the 80s. Relative humidity in the teens, and wind speeds will be 5 to 10 miles per hour from the north, northwest. The probability of ignition indicates that a hot ember landing in dry grass or other fuels has a 68 percent chance of starting a fire in a shaded area, and a 100 percent chance of ignition if fuels are in direct sunlight. No wetting rain is expected, but there is a slight chance for thunderstorms, which could generate lightning and possible erratic wind patterns.

An Emergency Forest Closure for portions of the Fremont-Winema National Forest remains in effect. The closure order and maps can be viewed at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/fremont-winema/news-events/

Fire managers want park guests to have a fun and safe experience in the Crater Lake National Park. Visitors should expect to see large firefighting apparatus on roadways. Please drive slowly and use caution as fire vehicles may stop in unexpected locations, and if backing, the operator of the equipment may not be able to see smaller passenger vehicles in their mirrors.