Wasco County fire grows to nearly 17,000 acres

(Update: Fire at nearly 17,000 acres, jumps river, details on evacuation notice, Friday evening update)

The Long Hollow Fire burning southeast of Dufur grew to nearly 17,000 acres Friday in more heat and wind, crossing the lower Deschutes River, officials said.

A reconnaissance flight revised the fire’s size downward from an earlier Friday estimate of twice that size.

Officials also said the fire has crossed the lower Deschutes River to the east bank near Jones Canyon.

The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office has placed everything south of Rutledge Road in a Level 1 (Get Ready) evacuation status. Wasco County has also placed the community of Boyd in a Level 1 (Get Ready) status.

Officials said most of Friday’s growth had been to the south and southwest.

Here’s the Friday evening update on the fire:

Acres: 16,938
Start Date: 26 July 2018
Cause: Farm Machinery Location: Dufur , Oregon 97021
Containment: 0% Fuels: Grass and brush
Total personnel: 150

General Information: The Long Hollow Fire is now at 16,938 acres with major efforts to contain fire using fire personnel on the ground and in the air. The fire started by farming equipment and has spread along the west side of the Deschutes River in the areas between Macks Canyon to the north and Beavertail to the south. The Arizona Type 3 IMT has requested additional resources to be sent to the fire area to assist in the fire fight. The Incident Command Post is located at the Dufur School. We are requesting residents and visitors in the area to be cautious of fire apparatus using the roadways. Weather is a major factor in how the fire spreads. High temperatures and wind are expected to continue to play a role in the fire behavior.

Fire Operations: Fire suppression tactics are being employed to cut off the fire perimeter by using aviation and ground crews during day and night operations. Engines, hand crews, water tenders, along with helicopters and fixed wing aircraft will be used to fight the fire from above creating fire breaks. Burning operations will be utilized to create a buffer between the unburned fuels and area needing to be protected. All operations are designed to protect “Values at Risk” that have been identified by local jurisdictions. These values include agriculture, cultural areas, private lands, recreational areas, powerlines, railroad and others deemed as significant to the interest to the public.

Fire Safety Awareness: It continues to be extremely dry all over the central Oregon region, and people should use extreme caution in their use of fire or machinery and ensure tow safety chains are not dragging. In the vicinity of the Long Hollow Fire, people should remain alert for heavy fire traffic, as equipment and personnel will be traveling the roadways. For information on current fire restrictions, please visit https://www.centraloregonfire.org .

Fire Weather: High temperatures and low humidity with gusty afternoon winds are anticipated the rest of the weekend, which will likely result in extreme fire conditions.

Closures and Restrictions: The area along the river is closed to the public. The 216 Road from Buck Hollow River Access to the Macks Campground is closed. The area is also under Industrial Fire Protection Level III. Roadblocks have been set up by local law enforcement.

Fire Information Links: Fire information can be found at www.centraloregonfire.org and https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ .

Fire Information: (602) 292-5315 (8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.)

Email: centralorfireinfo@gmail.com

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6040/

Twitter: @CentralORFire

The fire, reported around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, quickly spread through the evening, prompting evacuations southeast of The Dalles and growing to 16,000 acres overnight, officials said.

BLM and Forest Service firefighters spent Thursday evening fighting the blaze, alongside Wasco County and local rangeland fire protection association firefighters. The effort included two single-engine air tankers, three heavy air tankers, two helicopters and five engines, among other resources.

The fire burned down to the Deschutes River, prompting Level 3 evacuation orders Thursday afternoon from the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office. The area under evacuation is from Sherars Falls to Mack’s Canyon. Follow the sheriff’s office on Facebook for updated emergency information: https://www.facebook.com/WascoCountySheriff

BLM officials confirmed Friday that the fire was started by a piece of farming equipment. A farmer’s Quadtrac blew a disc in a field and ignited the fire, they said.

The structural damage the fire has caused so far is under investigation. It is burning in the same area as last week’s deadly Substation Fire that killed a tractor operator and burned close to 80,000 acres.

A Type 3 Incident Management Team will take command of the fire Friday morning and continue working to suppress the fire as quickly as possible. Expect to see more resources arriving and more fire suppression activities throughout the day.

For more updates, check our Central Oregon Fire Information blog at http://www.centraloregonfire.org or follow on Twitter @CentralORFire.

Meanwhile, another day of active fire growth was expected in Southern Oregon, a dry region baking in triple-digit heat. Numerous lightning-sparked blazes have ignited there in recent weeks.

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Friday morning update on the Garner Complex Fire:

The group of fires have burned 25,097 acres and as of Friday morning they were 25 percent contained overall.

Fire activity was heavy around the perimeter of the Taylor Creek Fire overnight and into this morning. The column grew to an estimated height of 8-10,000 feet, exceeding the top of the ridge.Last night the fire was most active in the Shan Creek area. Some primary control lines were crossed, but secondary control lines held the fire.

The Taylor Creek Fire is expanding on several fronts. Fire fighters are gathering intel on the fire perimeter and scouting for future containment lines. Fire managers are constantly evaluating current information and making contingency plans.

The unstable nature of the fire is requiring careful reconnaissance and evaluation before firefighters engage. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s structure protection task forces have a heavy presence in the area and have been planning with wildland resources should the fire move through residential areas. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is mobilizing two more task forces this afternoon from Linn and Lane Counties.

Weather conditions are likely to be favorable for using planes and helicopters in support of on the ground firefighters. However, high demand from other wildland fires may limit availability to the Garner Complex.

On the positive side, the Grave Creek Fire on the eastern side of the Garner Complex is doing well. Perimeter lines are holding and firefighters are predominately doing mop-up work on that fire, up to 100 ft in some places. A structure protection task force will be supporting a burnout operation today on the south end of the fire

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Friday morning’s update on the Timber Crater 6 Fire:

Crater Lake National Park, OR – Firefighters have completed line around most of the fire. Yesterday, hot and dry conditions allowed fire to progress across a “donut hole” – an interior pocket of unburned fuels along the south edge of the fire – and tie it into the fire’s edge. Containment is now 65%, with acres burned at 3,125 acres, and 712 people are working on the fire.

Weather: Hot and critically dry conditions will persist, but weaker winds than yesterday’s maximum 15 mph are forecast. Smoke is expected in the morning, and sun in the afternoon.

Yesterday: Crews laid hose along and beyond the “donut hole” to support the firing operations used for the burnout there. This firing operation used a type 3 helicopter and plastic firing devices and hand lighting. On other areas of the fire, crews were assigned to finish and improve existing line along the fire’s flanks. Other crews worked to hold, secure, and mop up along primary containment lines. A system of contingency lines to the south was also completed.

Plans for Today: Crews will patrol, improve and mop up containment lines all around the fire. Infrared mapping done overnight identified a spot resulting from the burnout near and outside the line on the south flank. Crews will work immediately this morning to contain the spot. As part of rehabilitation work, chipping operations are planned on several US Forest Service roads near Hwy. 138. Motorists should use extra caution in those areas and be aware of equipment and trucks adjacent to the highway. Multiple helicopters will also be active today to support firefighting efforts, including a Type 1, two Type 2 and a Type 3. Timber Crater 9, a previously unstaffed fire likely resulting from the lightning storm July 15, will now be staffed with rappelling firefighters who will be flown in. With Timber Crater 6 now secured, fire managers consider it safe to staff the acre-sized Timber Crater 9.

Smoke: Smoke from the Timber Crater 6 fire is likely to disperse to the southeast toward Klamath Falls. Drift smoke from multiple fires across southwest Oregon continues to impact the Crater Lake National Park area. For visitors wanting to see Crater Lake under the most favorable conditions, a smoke management specialist suggests mornings as the best viewing time over the next several days. For more information about smoke conditions from air monitoring sites, visit http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/. For hourly updates visit https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/smoke.pl. Smoke monitor #19 is located at Diamond Lake and smoke monitor #20 is located at park headquarters . More information is also available at https://tools.airfire.org/outlooks/CraterLakeArea.

Follow Us: at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5986/, Crater Lake National Park and Fremont-Winema National Forest on Facebook, and swojic.blogspot.com.