Central Oregon smoke goes from bad to worse

(Update: Site reported Bend had ‘hazardous’ air quality; small fire breaks out N. of Madras)

Air quality readings soared to unhealthy, even hazardous levels Wednesday afternoon and evening around much of Central Oregon as thick smoke even made for reported ashfall on cars and the ground in some areas. Officials said it was blowing in largely from the 1,200-acre Terwilliger Fire on the Willamette National Forest.

Some air quality monitors put Bend in the “very unhealthy” level as the murk turned the sun red and made it even more difficult to breathe for many, bringing watery eyes and other health impacts. And around 7 p.m., it spiked into the “hazardous” category, at 328 on the air quality index of PM 2.5 particulates.

Another site that lists a network of twin-laser air quality sensors showed Bend’s Westside just shy of “health alert” status Wednesday night, at 291.

There are still new fires popping up, however. Central Oregon fire managers said a fire was reported Wednesday evening along the railroad tracks in the Gateway area, about eight miles north of Madras. It was estimated at five acres, with minimal growth. BNSF shut down the tracks as resources responded.

Here’s Wednesday morning’s update on the Terwilliger Fire:

Terwilliger Fire Information Phone Number (541) 822-7259

Size: 1,248 acres Containment: 1% Cause: Under Investigation

Location: 5 miles SE of Blue River Structures Destroyed: 0

Total Personnel: 195 including 5 hand crews, 7 engines, 3 dozer, 6 water tenders, and 2 helicopters

Incident Commander: Alan Sinclair with the Southwest Area Type 2 Incident Management Team #3

Summary: Southwest Area Incident Management Team #3 assumed command of the Terwilliger Fire at 6:oo a.m. this morning and will continue using full suppression strategy.

The Terwilliger fire is burning on both the west and east side of Cougar Reservoir. Yesterday, crews continued to hold the fire south of Boone Creek. Heavy equipment was used to open existing roads and lines used last year on the east side of the reservoir. Aviation resources were used to hold line to the north as weather and smoke conditions allowed.

Firefighters will continue their work to hold the fire south of Boone Creek. They completed line from Forest Road 19 to the Forest Road 115 and will implement a burn out operation to strengthen the control line. Heavy equipment will continue to open existing roads and fire managers will scout out areas with the most probability of success to hold the fire on the northeast side of the fire.

Closures: Willamette National Forest has implemented Closure Order # 06-18-01-18-17

From Hwy 126, the closure begins where Forest Service Road 19 intersects with Forest Service Road 1900-408 and continues south to Rebel Trailhead.

Closed Campgrounds: Hard Rock Campground, French Pete Campground, Cougar Crossing Campground, Sunnyside Campground, Slide Creek Campground

Closed Recreation Sites: Indian Ridge Lookout, Terwilliger Hot Springs, Echo Day Use and Boat Launch

Closed Trails: French Pete Trail #3311, Bear Flat Trail #3301, Quaking Aspen Trail #3332, Lowder Mountain Trail #3329, Olallie Mountain Trail #4100, Walker Creek Trail #3330, East Fork Trail #3308, Indian Ridge Trail #3315, Rider Creek Trail #3319, French Pete Trailhead, Upper Lowder Mountain Trailhead, Upper East Fork Trailhead, Lower East Fork/Lower Echo Trailhead, Echo Trailhead, O’Leary / Castle Rock Trailhead, Lowder Mountain Trailhead, Indian Ridge North (Upper) Trailhead, Indian Ridge South (Lower) Trailhead

Closed Forest Service Roads (FSR): Sections of FSR 1900, Sections of FSR 2618, Sections of FSR 1927, FSR 1900-408, FSR 1900-410, FSR 1980, FSR 1985, FSR 1986, Sections of FSR 1993, FSR 1994

See the closures tab on InciWeb for more details, map and a pdf of the original Forest Order.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: Temporary flight restrictions (TFR) are in effect around the entire fire area. Remember, that temporary flight restrictions also apply to unmanned aircraft systems (drones), so if you fly, we can’t!

For smoke monitoring information, see Oregon Department of Environmental Quality https://oraqi.deq.state.or.us/home/map

For further information, please visit the following links:

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6160/

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Here’s Wednesday evening’s update on the Wheeler and Gilliam county wildfires:

[Condon, Oregon] After success in holding lines and securing previously established fire perimeter, the Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office lowered evacuation changes this afternoon across the fires.

Stubblefield Fire – On the southern end of the fire, evacuation orders were lowered for Richmond Road and Pattee Road to evacuation Level 2 Be Set! The fire remains active on the northwestern perimeter and fire crews are working to hold it north of Ferry Canyon. The structure crews mopped up a far out as 100 feet from the fire perimeter and around any structures.

Seale Fire – Buckhorn Lane, Armstrong Road and Butte Creek Road have been lowered to evacuation Level 1 Be Ready! Structure crews patrolled the area and put out any smokes or hot spots in order to ensure that the line is cold and the structures are secure.

Lonerock Fire – All areas of Lonerock Road and the City of Lonerock have been lowered to an evacuation Level 1 Be Ready! This fire is in mop-up stage according to fire managers. It is deemed to be of little threat to structures in the Lonerock community.

Jennie’s Peak – Crews worked during the day to prepare Rhodes Canyon Road as a fire line to the north, burning out to secure the line as needed. There were also burn operations that were conducted along Ridge Road and the dozer line to Old Mill Canyon.

Overall, there were positive gains on all of the fires today. Because of the good work that has been done and the decreased level of threat to homes in the community, evacuation orders were lowered and five of the OSFM structural task forces were released to return to their home departments today. Three structural task forces remain on the fires and will continue to protect homes in the community until there is no longer a threat. NW Team 7 will continue to manage the fires in coordination with local structural protection agencies.

There will be a community meeting Thursday evening at 5:30PM at the South Gilliam County Rural Fire Protection District, 220 N Main St, Condon. Progress of the firefighting efforts will be discussed and a conversation about how we can continue to support the community of Condon back to normal as firefighting efforts wind down. It is hopeful that things will be wrapped up by Gilliam County Fair time and the start of school.

Elsewhere, the Watson Creek Fire 13 miles west of Paisley in Lake County was at 35,287 acres and 10 percent containment Wednesday morning.