Jefferson County smoke from ag field burn
(Update: Smoke from field burn; more containment on Bessie Butte, Hampton fires)
A smoke plume that sparked concern in Jefferson County on Wednesday afternoon was from a 59-acre agricultural field burn in Culver, authorities said. There also was progress reported on two recent wildfires in Central Oregon.
More details about the Jefferson County Smoke Management Program can be found at: http://oregonstate.edu/dept/coarc/smoke-management.
The Bessie Butte Fire that burned nearly 50 acres 8 miles southeast of Bend on Sunday is now 90 percent contained, Forest Service spokesman Patrick Lair said Wednesday. The cause of that fire is under investigation.
A fire that burned 44 acres Tuesday near U.S. Highway 20 about 12 miles east of Hampton and 75 miles east of Bend was 80 percent contained. Lair said it apparently was sparked by a passing semi-truck.
Here are the Wednesday morning updates on two of the major wildfires burning in southern Oregon, the Garner Complex of blazes and the Timber Crater 6 Fire at Crater Lake National Park:
First, the 11 a.m. Garner Complex update:
Last night, specially trained Hotshot crews were able to use burnout operations to remove fuels ahead of the Taylor Creek fire. Individual tree torching was visible throughout the night. However, the whole fire remains within the control lines due to the efforts of both wildland and the Office of State Fire Marshal’s structural fire fighters who worked through the night.
All day today, burnout operations will be conducted on the south and east sides of the Taylor Creek Fire and the south side of the Grave Creek Fire. The public will see more active fire and smoke in these areas. These burnout operations are critical for widening the control firelines that are strategically placed to control the fire.
The total current acres on each fire:
Taylor Creek 11,831
Grave Creek/Ditch Creek 7,047
Pleasant Creek 832
Spencer Creek 228
King Mountain 6
Air quality in the region remains in the unhealthy range due to smoke from the multiple fires in the area. More air quality information can be found at https://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/
Percent contained: 18% Fire size: 19,944 acres OSFM Structural Task Forces: 9
And the Timber Crater 6 Fire 9 a.m. Wednesday update:
Fire crews continued making great progress Tuesday on the Timber Crater 6 Fire, which has been burning in the northeast corner of Crater Lake National Park and more recently on the Fremont-Winema National Forest since July 15 following a passing lightning storm. Containment has increased to 35% as firefighters successfully mopped up hot spots and secured holding lines from recent burnout operations. Fire growth has been minimal over the past two days with 2355 acres now burned. There are 639 personnel assigned to the fire. Primary fire management objectives remain fully suppressing the fire while minimizing impacts to natural resources and the public, with public and firefighter safety as the foremost consideration.
A combination of factors including fuel conditions from past vegetation treatments on both national forest and park service lands, available resources, and weather helped make recent burnout operations successful. To increase containment, additional burnout operations are planned in the coming days.
Weather: High pressure will contribute to slightly hotter and continued dry conditions over the next several days. West-northwest winds are also expected to increase slightly. However, with smoke clearing this morning, conditions for both air and ground resources are expected to be very favorable.
Yesterday: Fire crews made good progress on all fronts of the fire on Tuesday. Successes included continued mop up of burnout areas on the east side of the fire, additional direct hand line on the north and west sides, and preparing line for additional planned burnout operations on the southeast side of the fire. Despite CL415s being grounded due to smoke, helicopters were able to continue suppressing hot spots, which aided firefighting efforts.
Plans for Today: Continuing with a full suppression strategy, crews will prepare for potential burnout on the southeast portion of the fire and enhance previous burnout operations to the east. Additionally, they will continue constructing direct and indirect line on the south side of the fire. On the west and northwest portions, crews plan to hold constructed line and continue mop up.
Two CL415s are planned for scooping from Crescent Lake to drop water on hot spots. Additionally, a total of three helicopters, a Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3, will be used to assist firefighting efforts. It is important for travelers of Highway 230 to be aware that short-term, intermittent closures may be implemented by the Oregon Department of Transportation while helicopters are dipping in the area south of Diamond Lake. For safety reasons, recreationists on Crescent Lake may be asked to leave the water in the event of scooping operations.
Smoke: Many fires burning across southwest Oregon are producing smoke that continues to flow into Crater Lake National Park. At times, this has resulted in reduced visibility and lower air quality. This pattern will continue as long as these fires continue. The Timber Crater 6 Fire and strategic burn operations have generated smoke that has flowed toward Highway 97. Smoke monitors were installed on Tuesday by an air quality manager assigned to IMT 9 at Klamath Falls, Diamond Lake and inside Crater Lake National Park.
Follow Us: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5986/, Crater Lake National Park’s Facebook and swojic.blogspot.com
