Hundreds of firefighters are still working to contain several wildfires burning around Central Oregon, state
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Halloween is less than three weeks away, and there are still hundreds of firefighters working to finish containment of wildfires burning around the region and state.
The over month-old Little Lava Fire 15 miles southwest of Bend has been more accurately mapped at 14,857 acres, officials said in a Saturday update. A total of 166 personnel are still working on that blaze.
Firefighters continue mop-up work on the fire’s northeastern flank, while two hotshot crews are focused on keeping that corner in check as others build a shaded fuel break along Forest Service Road 45.
“Their goal is to keep fire away from Edison Butte Sno-Park and limit fire progression to the east,” the update stated. Aircraft are assisting in direct suppression as needed. Meanwhile, to the west, fuels reduction work continues to progress and nears completion along Forest Service Roads 4525 and 4269, nearing completion.
Smaller brush fires continue to arise and are caught at small sizes around the region. Redmond firefighters were on scene Saturday afternoon of a fire that reportedly burned several acres on BLM land east of Antler Avenue near NE 11th Street and another was reported north of Prineville off NW Lamonta Road.
To the south, near Crescent Lake, the Red Fire has topped 3,000 acres and is 15% contained, with 66 personnel still working on it. Cooler temperatures and higher humidities are still moderating fire behavior. Crews are focused on removing hazard trees along roads in the area and mopping up any heat sources along Forest Service Road 60.
The more than 6,500-acre Pine Fire that broke out Monday southeast of Pine Mountain has reached 70% containment, Watch Duty reported.
Cooler, wetter weather is predicted next week, which could help to ease the fire conditions.
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Rail Ridge Fire Update
October 12, 2024
Central Oregon Wildfire Information: centraloregonfire.org
Email: 2024.railridge@firenet.gov – Phone: 541-208-7111
Social Media, Evacuation and Closure Information: https://linktr.ee/RailRidgeFire
Acres: 174,438 – Containment: 89% – Detection: 09/02/24 – Cause: Lightning – Personnel: 616
Operational Update: Yesterday, cool and humid weather, combined with cloud cover led to another day of minimal fire behavior. Suppression repairs continued, including removal of hazard trees and road grading. The firefighters are prioritizing patrolling contained lines while monitoring mop-up of stump holes and hot spots that are still smoldering. UAS checked for heat over the uncontained pieces of line on the northern fire edge and confirmed that the perimeter is secure, and these areas are now considered contained. Helicopters assisted in giving fire behavior analysts a flight to assess the current fire behavior activity as well as flights to assist in communication tower support.
The uncontained fire within Cottonwood Creek and Cougar Mountain continues to spread at slow rates with minimal fire behavior. An indirect strategy continues to be the primary plan, due to significant hazards to firefighters if they attempted direct actions. These hazards include steep, remote, rugged terrain, a high density of snags and heavy fuel loading making travel on foot difficult. The indirect strategy provides firefighters the ability to use road systems and heavy equipment in more favorable terrain and fuels.
Today, weather is expected to be similar to yesterday with lower relative humidity in the afternoon. Primary fire behavior at this time is backing, flanking, and isolated torching. Fuels remain dry and active fire behavior is possible. Widely scattered interior heat sources continue to smolder due to long-term drying. These interior flare-ups will continue to produce smoke for days to come. Heavy equipment and fire crews will begin to prepare FS Road 3850 into containment line along the western edge of the active fire area. To the north, dozers and crews are preparing containment line to the east through BLM and private lands. Crews are setting up sprinklers and preparing around cabins and other values at risk that are within the new planned containment lines. Firefighters continue to use MIST mop-up tactics around the Black Canyon Wilderness. Air resources will continue to assist firefighter needs with bucket drops and other support as needed. Suppression repair work continues.
The fire team and local agencies continue to work with local landowners, businesses, and affiliates who need access within the fire area closures. Due to the multitude of hazards within the fire area, these requests are being prioritized and official escorts are being provided as safety and availability of escorts are feasible.
Weather: Expecting mostly cloudy skies today with min RH values in the low 30s. Clouds will move out of the region late this afternoon and evening with high pressure building overhead. Expect dry and mostly sunny skies for the first part of next week. Winds will be mainly terrain-driven through the weekend.
Forest & BLM Closures / Evacuation Information / Fire Restrictions for the Rail Ridge Fire area can be found at: https://linktr.ee/RailRidgeFire.
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Bingham Fire Update:
Firefighters begin suppression repair; motorists advised of increasing traffic
Daily Update: October 12, 2024
Fire Information Phone: 503-854-3366 (8 a.m.-8 p.m.)
Email: 2024.Bingham@firenet.gov
Acres: 199 Containment: 92%
Location: Areas of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, east of Marion Forks.
Start Date: September 30,2024 Personnel: 250
Resources: 9 crews | 1 engine | 1 bulldozer | 3 water tenders | 1 excavator
Highlights: After a second day of easterly winds, the Bingham Fire stayed at 199 acres Friday, Oct. 11, while containment grew to 92 percent. Crews are splitting time between patrolling containment lines, extinguishing isolated hot spots, and returning the landscape to a more natural state from disturbances caused by firefighting tactics.
In a practice referred to as “suppression repair,” firefighters and heavy equipment operators will, among other things, grade roads and cover or reseed ground disturbances to minimize erosion and promote ground-stabilizing revegetation.
Motorists enjoying the holiday weekend are advised to watch out for firefighting vehicles on and around Highway 22 as firefighters begin removing equipment from the area.
Evacuations: The Linn County Sheriff’s Office has reduced the size of LEVEL 3: GO NOW! evacuation areas Oct. 10, converting them to LEVEL 2: GET SET evacuation alerts. The Level 2 evacuation area extends along Highway 22 to a ½-mile west of Highway 22, from Pamelia Road (NFS Road 2246) south to Parrish Lake Road (NFS Road 2266). Please refer to the Linn County Wildfire Map for more information: https://tinyurl.com/LinnCoFireMap. Highway 22 remains open.
The Willamette National Forest also reduced its closure area Oct. 10 within the same footprint as the county’s Level 3 evacuation zone. Details of the closure order can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/2y4sacl8. The Pacific Crest Trail through the Mount Jefferson Wilderness remains open. Impacted trails include Bingham Ridge Trail, Independence Rock Trail, Marion Lake Trail and Lake of the Woods Trail. With hunting season started, Forest Service staff will work with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office to reduce closure areas as soon as it is safe to do so.
Weather: Winds are expected to shift midday today back to a westerly direction as temperatures stay in the upper 50s to lower 60s. A 20 percent chance of light rain is also forecast.
