South Valley Fire size trimmed, now 40 pct. contained
(Update: Saturday evening update says 40 percent contained; sized trimmed by GPS mapping)
Quieter fire activity made for another day of good progress Saturday on the 20,026-acre South Valley Fire near Dufur, allowing crews to reach 40 percent containment, officials said Saturday evening.
It’s cost an estimated $3.46 million for the 636 personnel to fight the human-caused fire since it broke out last Wednesday. There are 14 crews, 57 engines, six bulldozers, 16 water tenders and eight helicopters working on the fire, which has destroyed three homes and 15 outbuildings and still threatens 172 others, the Saturday evening update said.
With containment lines being strengthened, the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office has lowered all Level 3 evacuation orders to Level 2 (Get Set) as of Saturday morning. Other areas remain under Level 1 (Get Ready).
Here’s the rest of the Saturday update on the blaze:
Dufur, OR – Fire activity was quieter today. Firefighters were afforded the opportunity to continue work on specific hot spots in the south east branch of the fire. Other crews set additional hose lays on the south east line increasing water availabity along the fire perimeter. Crews continued mop-up activities working from the perimeter towards the interior up to 50 feet, creating a larger vegetation free zone. In the interior, smoldering, heavy timber remains a concern. Timber fallers will begin work tomorrow reducing snags, and removing hazard trees.
Night operation objectives will be to enhance existing mop-up around residential homes and structures, while working fire perimeter patrols.
Bonus good news came today. Total fire acreage decreased to 20,026 after additional GPS mapping was completed by day crews.
Temperatures increased today but winds supported crew’s efforts staying between 5-10 miles an hour out of the north. Relative Humidity will decrease tomorrow hovering between 20 -25% with temperatures increasing.
A 6:00 p.m. community meeting was held this evening at the Christian Church in Dufur, OR. The meeting was recorded via Facebook Live. You can find it at South Valley/ Substation Fire 2018 Facebook page.
Evacuations and Structures:
Evacuation Levels were reduced by the Wasco County Sheriff today. All previous Level 3 evacuations zones are now at Level 2. Level 1 remains unchanged. For further details on evacuation orders visit the Wasco County Sheriff’s Facebook page. The Bureau of Land Management will continue to keep Segment 3 of the Deschutes River corridor from Sandy Beach to Mack’s Canyon open unless conditions change for the worse.
Currently there are no road closures in effect.
There are 172 homes threatened by the fire. The Red Cross is available to provide shelter support to those displaced. Contact them at 1- 888-680-1455.
The State Fire Marshal has completed damage assessments and reported 14 structures destroyed- three primary structures and fifteen outbuildings.
For more information: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6086/
