Smoke from big fires to south reaches C. Oregon

(Update: Smoke from fires to south reaches area; concerns over fires sparked by abandoned campfires; progress on Long Hollow Fire)

Amid more progress on a large grass and brush fire near the Deschutes River, smoke from major fires in southern Oregon and Northern California was pushed north into the High Desert on Sunday.

“Those are big timber fires,” Ochoco National Forest and Crooked River Grassland spokesman Patrick Lair said Sunday. “They’re not grass fires. Those are big trees burning, and they’re putting out a lot of smoke. I’ve seen the maps — the smoke is pushing north. So yeah, we’re going to be hit with that smoke.”

Meanwhile, Central Oregon crews continue to tackle small new blazes, including two of 1/10 of an acre or less Sunday morning, near Blow Lake (close to Hosmer Lake) and McCool Butte, near Odell Lake — both apparently sparked by abandoned campfires.They were two of 15 fire reports Central Oregon crews have responded two just since Friday.

On Sunday, crews had to hike an hour in full gear in nearly 100-degree temperatures to put out the fire near Blow Lake. But if things get worse, as feared, and firefighting resources are stretched even thinner, they might not always have the time to do that.

“If those small fires hadn’t have been discovered, they could’ve easily turned into much larger fires,” Lair said. “We’re lucky right now. We have resources close to home, people who can run out there and get on these fires. But as the fire season goes on and we get more fire activity, it becomes harder and harder for our firefighters to get out to every new start.”

The National Weather Service shared a satellite image of smoke from the fires at Crater Lake National Park and near Redding, California moving north into the region Sunday. A Sunriver-area resident said the smoke already was accompanied by some light ashfall.

Despite record-breaking heat, crews held the Long Hollow Fire southeast of Dufur at 33,000 acres on Saturday and brought it to 27 percent containment as state Highway 216 reopened and evacuation levels were lowered along the lower Deschutes River.

By Sunday evening, the fire’s size grew to 34,550 acres but the containment figure also rose to 58 percent, as the smoke reached the High Desert from the growing fires to the south.

Most of the fire had minimal fire behavior Sunday, with slight activity on the southeast corner, officials said. The lower Deschutes River is key habitat for California bighorn sheep, and although portions burned, they are utilizing the area.

Here’s the earlier, Sunday morning update on the Long Hollow Fire:

Long Hollow Fire: 33,000 acres Containment: 27% Reported: July 26, 4:44 P.M. Cause: Human

Inciweb Information websites: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6040/

Fire Information: NEW # 541-304-39728 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Record-breaking day and nighttime temperatures made for challenging fire behavior Saturday. Despite gusty winds and low relative humidity yesterday, firefighters continued to improve fire perimeter lines, and the fire has an estimated containment of 27%. There was no change in fire acres.

Crews and air resources targeted the southeast corner of the fire in and around Jones Canyon yesterday, and will continue to improve containment lines in this area today. Crews are continuing to work in all divisions of the fire, with the priority today of holding containment lines and working to secure the SE corner of the fire.

Arizona Type 3 Incident Management Team led by Incident Commander Pruett Small transitioned
command of the fire Sunday to Northwest Incident Management Team #10 led by Incident Commander Al Lawson.

The Deschutes River evacuation level in Segment 3 (Buckhollow to Macks Canyon) is downgraded from a Level 3 (GO), to a level 1 (Ready). The Deschutes River access road and Highway 216 have been reopened.

Be especially vigilant, as fire personnel will still be using the routes. As with Boxcar and Substation fires, please use caution when recreating in burned areas. When entering burned areas, remember that hillsides can become unstable due to reduced vegetation. Rocks may dislodge and become a hazard along roadways. If precipitation occurs, flash flooding can move large amounts of soil and debris. Always be aware of potential hazards when moving through recently burned areas.

Today’s weather will be similar to yesterday, with high daytime temperatures in the upper 90s to low 100s and winds coming out of the west at 5 mph becoming north to northeast 3-8 mph in the late morning to afternoon. Relative humidity is extremely low.

As summer progresses, increasing and prolonged temperatures are drying grass, brush and trees, we ask the community and visitors to stay particularly vigilant in being fire safe. Dragging trailer chains, leaving campfires unattended, parking in dry grass, discharging firearms or fireworks, tossing cigarettes, and using mechanical equipment without spark arrestors are all known causes of wildfires.

Closures:
– Evacuation level along Segment 3 (Buckhollow to Macks Canyon) of the Deschutes River is
downgraded from a Level 3 to a Level 1. Deschutes access road and HWY 216 are open.
– Evacuation notifications will continue to be monitored and disseminated from the Wasco and
Sherman County sheriff’s offices.

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Here’s Sunday’s update on the Timber Crater 6 Fire:

Crater Lake National Park, OR – The Timber Crater 6 Fire is now 3,126 acres and is 65% contained. Work to strengthen and improve containment lines continued on the southern perimeter of the fire. Firefighters reported creeping and smoldering fire behavior along the fire line. Crews continued with mop up and cold trailing, locating hot spots near the perimeter and extinguishing them.

The Timber Crater 9 Fire was held to one-half acre. Firefighters completed a containment line around the fire and mopped up inside the perimeter. The crew on the Timber Crater 9 Fire were extracted by helicopter yesterday afternoon. Moving forward, Timber Crater 9 will be unstaffed but will be monitored from the air.

At approximately 12:30 pm yesterday, July 28, a new fire was discovered. The fire was designated as Timber Crater Fire 10. Its approximate location is 3 1/2 miles east of the North Entrance Road and 5 miles south of Highway 138. When discovered, the fire was less than 1 acre in size.

Six 20-person hand crews working at the Timber Crater 6 Fire were reassigned for initial attack on the Timber Crater Fire 10. Firefighters were supported from the air by a single engine air tanker, and two helicopters using water buckets. Poor visibility hampered air operations due to smoke from fires to the west of the park. Unseasonably high temperatures, low relative humidity, and extremely dry fuel moisture levels contributed to active fire behavior and spotting up to a ¼ mile ahead of the flame front. The fire quickly grew to approximately 200 acres. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

Weather conditions in the region today may contribute to more active fire behavior. High temperatures will be in the mid to upper 80s. Relative humidity will be 13 to 20 percent, and wind speeds will be 8 to 10 miles per hour with gusts up to 20 mph. The probability of ignition indicates that a hot ember landing in dry grass in direct sunlight has a 100 percent chance of ignition. No wetting rain is forecast in the coming days.

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

Smoke from the Timber Crater 6 and 10 fires is likely to disperse to the southeast toward Klamath Falls. Drift smoke from multiple fires across southwest Oregon continues to reduce visibility in the Crater Lake National Park area. For visitors wanting to see Crater Lake under the most favorable conditions, the NW Team 9 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 .

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