Crews strengthen lines on nearly 3,700-acre Copperfield Fire SE of Chiloquin that destroyed 8 homes, 19 other buildings

(Update: Wednesday morning update)

CHILOQUIN, Ore. (KTVZ) – Crews A wind-fanned wildfire reported Sunday afternoon southeast of Chiloquin grew to nearly 3,700 acres by Tuesday but was fully lined by Tuesday night after prompting area evacuations, damaging several homes and other structures.

Copperfield Fire
Morning Update - September 4

Fire information resources:

Inciweb: Copperfield Fire - OR98S Facebook: Copperfield Fire 2024 Email: CopperfieldFire2024.Info@gmail.com Phone: 541-233-6967 (8 am to 8 pm)

Chiloquin, Ore. – Work to clear hazardous trees along the Sprague River Highway was completed yesterday. The highway was opened to the public at a reduced speed at 5:00 a.m. this morning. Motorists are advised to continue to exercise caution when driving through the area due to increased fire traffic in the area. School bus operations were allowed to operate with the opening of the road.

Last night crews strengthened the line around the fire, as well as mopping up around structures to 100’ and prepping the remaining homes. Crews continued to patrol around the perimeter, watching for any hot spots and identifying any areas of heat in the interior for the day shift to extinguish. Crews are also working with local Tribal agencies to identify and respectfully protect any cultural sites in the fire area.

Today will begin the transition to increasing the ‘cold black’ inside the fire perimeter. Three task forces will continue to patrol structures today, and hand crews and heavy equipment will build on last night’s work. Crews continue to increase the cool area along the perimeter of the fire, including hose lays in some areas. Over two miles of hose line has been deployed around the Corbell Butte area and along the southwest portion of fire line to reach interior areas and fortify the perimeter.

Due to the great progress on the fire, the Oregon State Fire Marshal will be demobilizing two task forces from Marion and Polk County to return to their local fire departments.

There have been no accidents or injuries reported during the suppression efforts on the fire.

Evacuation levels will continue to change with the increase of the fire containment. Evacuation levels are determined by the Klamath County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with fire officials and agency administrators. Current evacuation areas and levels can be found at https://www.klamathcounty.org/300/Emergency-Management. 

FEMA Authorizes Funds to Fight Copperfield Fire in Oregon

BOTHELL, Wash. -  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Copperfield Fire burning in Klamath County, Oregon. 

The state of Oregon’s request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) was approved by FEMA Region 10 Administrator Willie G. Nunn on Sunday, September 1, 2024, at 11:58 p.m. PT. He determined that the Copperfield Fire threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. This is the eleventh FMAG declared in 2024 to help fight Oregon wildfires. 

At the time of the state’s request, the wildfire threatened homes in and around the community of Chiloquin. The fire also threatened active recreation areas and power transmission and distribution infrastructure. 

FMAGs are provided through the President's Disaster Relief Fund and are made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies. This authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75 percent of eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating, and controlling designated fires. These grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire. 

In addition to the firefighting funds authorized under this FMAG, another $985,111 will be available to Oregon through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Post Fire for the mitigation of future wildfires and related hazards, such as flood after fire or erosion. Some eligible wildfire project types include defensible space measures, ignition-resistant construction and hazardous fuels reduction. The Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 authorizes FEMA to provide HMGP Post-Fire funds to eligible states and territories that receive Fire Management Assistance declarations and federally recognized tribes that have land burned within a designated area.  

Earlier info:

“Due to unfavorable weather conditions, this is a rapidly evolving incident,” said Teresa Williams, Klamath-Lake District forester. “We’re grateful to have the help of the incident management teams in managing and working to contain this fire and protect our communities.”

Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act Sunday night for the fire, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office. As of 8 p.m., the fire was estimated between 1,500 and 2,000 acres, as winds gusting to near 40 mph pushed its rapid growth. 

By 4:30 p.m., there already were six engines, five air tankers, two helicopters, two water tenders and four bulldozers on scene, with more resources on the way and night operations gearing up. ODF's Klamath-Lake District joined federal, state, local and private partners battling the blaze.

The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office ordered Level 3 GO NOW evacuations along milepost 6-7 of Sprague River Road, which also was closed between Williamson River Road and Lone Pine Road for evacuations and fire operations. Wider areas were under Level 2 BE SET and Level 1 BE READY pre-evacuation notices.

A map and info are at https://www.klamathcounty.org/300/Emergency-Management. You can also track fire updates at: https://app.watchduty.org/i/32838.

The South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership reported that residents who needed to leave the area and head west were told an evacuation center was being set up at the Chiloquin Community Center. Those headed east on Sprague River Highway were being asked to head to the town of Sprague River.

Shelters were set up at the Chiloquin Community Center, 140 S. First Avenue and the Klamath Falls Fairgrounds, 3531 S. Sixth Street, Building 2 (blue building).

The National Weather Service in Pendleton upgraded a fire weather watch to a red flag warning for areas including the Klamath Basin and south-central Oregon from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday for strong gusty winds and low humidity bringing critical fire weather conditions.

ODF’s Incident Management Team 3 was mobilized Sunday night to the fire burning in the Klamath-Lake District. The team will in brief at 1:00 p.m. Monday and will enter unified command with the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Team at 6:00 p.m. 

The OSFM Red Incident Management Team and eight task forces are being mobilized to the fire. Two task forces from Lane County and Central Oregon are part of the response and were sent through Immediate Response earlier Sunday evening.  

“The weather drove this fire, and Oregon will continue to face challenging weather conditions over the next three weeks. Fire season isn’t over yet and I encourage everyone to stay vigilant,” state Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Travis Medema said. “I cannot thank our incident management teams and task forces headed to this fire enough. They have had a busy season and responded no matter the time, no matter the situation.”   

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Governor Kotek Invokes Conflagration Act for Copperfield Fire

Fire in Klamath County marks fourteenth conflagration this wildfire season

Salem, OR — Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on the evening of September 1 in response to the Copperfield Fire in Klamath County. The Klamath County Fire Defense Board requested assistance with life, safety, and structural fire protection and the state fire marshal concurred with that request. 

As of Tuesday morning, there were 21 uncontained large fires burning in the state. Oregon is using every resource available through partnerships with many agencies to fight the wildland fires blazing across our state. State agencies are working with local communities to continuously assess what state and federal resources are needed.

Following ORS 476.510-476.610, Governor Kotek determined that a threat to life, safety, and property exists due to the fire, and the threat exceeds the firefighting capabilities of local firefighting personnel and equipment. The governor’s declaration allows the state fire marshal to mobilize resources through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System to support local fire service agencies on scene. This conflagration is declared only for the Copperfield Fire threatening structures in Klamath County.

A link to Executive Order 24-23 can be found here for the Copperfield Fire. 

On Sunday night, the Oregon State Fire Marshal Red Incident Management Team entered into unified command with the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 3 on the Copperfield Fire. 

The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office has declared Level 3 (Go Now) evacuations east of Chiloquin. To check your evacuation status and for evacuation information, please visit the Klamath County Emergency Management page.