BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A weekend of hard work began Saturday for hundreds of firefighters battling several large wildfires burning on the High Desert. Here are the full Saturday morning updates on the Green Ridge, Frog and Warm Springs fires.
Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 10
Green Ridge Fire Update
August 22, 2020 – 10:00 am
Incident Commander Alan Lawson
Agency Jurisdiction: Oregon Department of Forestry/USFS-Deschutes National Forest
| Date Started: August 16, 2020 | Acres: 3,706 |
| Cause: Lightning | Containment: 1% containment |
Incident Management Team Transition: Oregon Department of Forestry Team 3 will shadow IMT 10 today and will take over management of the fire due to significant spread of the fire onto lands protected by ODF. This Type 1 Team will begin managing the fire tomorrow at 6:00 a.m.
High winds yesterday afternoon challenged firefighters as the fire burned through extremely dry fuels and pushed past dozer lines on the eastern edge. An 800’ wide strip of fire spread east to the 1129 road and south of the 700 road. Multiple helicopters and air tankers helped keep the fire from spreading further. Despite this setback, weather conditions are favorable today for firefighting efforts as temperatures and winds are expected to remain lower. Crews and dozers will work to re-establish and strengthen the line on the perimeter of the fire and air support will be available to aid the ground effort.
The fire continues to move slowly down the steep flank of Green Ridge on the western side. Because of these steep slopes and the danger to firefighters, hand crews will keep working to hold and improve containment lines below the ridge. Crews will continue to prepare the 1120 road for future use as the fire line on this side of the fire. Burning material rolling downhill remains a challenge to these efforts.
The fire is staffed with over 300 personnel including interagency Type 1 hotshot crews, Type 2 initial attack crews, multiple 20-person hand crews and numerous engines, dozers, skidgeons and masticators.
Public and firefighter safety is the top priority. Fire strategy includes stopping fire movement at the 1120 road on the western side of the fire, protecting private property, private timberlands, and any critical infrastructure within and adjacent to the fire perimeter.
Current Evacuation Notices and Forest Area Closures: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7012/
A level 1 Evacuation Order “BE READY” was also added for the lands in the Lake Chinook Fire Dept. area including the Three Rivers subdivision, Metolius Arm lake homes, Monty Campground and Perry South Campground.
Recording of 8/21/20 virtual public meeting: https://www.facebook.com/NorthwestTeam10/live/
Frog Fire Update
Northwest Incident Management Team 8, Incident Commander, Doug Johnson
August 22, 2020 – 9:00 AM
The safety of the public and all wildland fire responders is always the number one priority for all wildland fire agencies. To keep firefighters and communities healthy and safe, all firefighters are asked to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the spread of illness. This also includes limited entry into the incident command post and spike camp. Please see the websites below or contact the Frog Fire information center at 541-670-0812 for further fire information.
General Updates: Firefighters made progress in the containment of the Frog Fire. Milder weather reduced fire activity during the last operational period allowing fire fighters to complete fireline on the majority of the incident perimeter.
On the most active edge of the fire, located in the northern section, crews were able to complete fireline and conducted a small burnout operation last night. Burnouts are the intentional placement of low intensity fire on the landscape, and conducted in order reduce the fuel load in an area prior to the arrival of a fire edge. Crews on the northern flanks will work today strengthening and patrolling the line. Firefighters will strengthen the southeast portion of the fireline by constructing a dozer line in conjunction with the existing handline. On the southeast flank containment lines are holding. Crews will begin mop up and patrol. Due to erratic winds, fire fighters on all areas of the fire will continue to monitor for spot fires.
Afternoon and evening strong winds, steep terrain, and heavy amounts of dry, dead and down fuels are providing challenges to the firefighters. A full suppression strategy is being utilized to minimize the impact to sage grouse habitat, private and federal grazing lands, and timber. Demand for firefighting resources is very high as reflected in the National Preparedness Level of 5. Large retardant air tankers, single engine air tankers and helicopters are being shared with other fires in Central Oregon.
Acreage: 3,997
Containment: 10%
Fire Information: 541-670-0812 (8:00 am to 9:00 PM)
E-mail: [email protected]
Information Websites:
Twitter: @CentralORFire
Blog Site: http://www.centraloregonfire.org
Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7036/
Smoke: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com
Weather: Mostly sunny with temperatures ranging from 75-80 degrees with northwest winds up to 9 mph in the morning and dropping to 5 mph in the afternoon. Relative humidity will range from 22-27%.
Smoke Advisory: Be prepared. With multiple large fires in the region, air quality may become an issue. Our air resource advisors use advanced smoke forecasting models to give advance notice to communities ahead of degraded air quality from wildfire smoke. Detailed smoke forecasts for Oregon are available at oregonsmoke.blogspot.com
Resources-289: 1-type 2 initial attack crew, 8-type 2 crews, 1- light helicopter, 1-medium helicopter, 1- heavy helicopter, 8-engines, 2-skidgine, 4-dozers, 1-water tender, and 76 overhead.
Evacuations: None
Closures: Several road closures and an Area Closure have been implemented near the Frog Fire.
The Crook County Sheriff’s Office has closed the following roads:
On the south end:
- Roberts Road at Bear Creek
- Klootchman Creek Road at Bear Creek
- Salt Creek at Roberts Road
On the north end:
- Forest Service Road 16 at the junction of Forest Service Road 1610
A temporary Area Closure also has been implemented by the Ochoco National Forest. For a full description and map of the Area Closure, please see the above Inciweb link.
Temporary Flight Restrictions: For the safety of the firefighters and aircraft fighting the Frog Fire, a temporary flight restriction has been placed over the fire area. Please consult the Notice to Airman for specifics.
Update-August 22, 2020
For Immediate Release
Incident Commander: Eric Knerr, Northwest Team 7 Fire Information: 971-277-5075
Warm Springs, Oregon This update is for the P-515 Fire and Lionshead Fire burning on the Warm Springs Reservation. Both fires are being managed for full suppression. The Quartz Butte Fire is in mop-up with no new fire activity to report.
Current Situation: In spite of the strong winds yesterday, the P-515 Fire was held within the current footprint. Retardant and helicopter bucket work assisted firefighters in keeping the P-515 Fire from advancing further to the east. An Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Task Force remained focused on protecting threatened residences along County Line Road (Trout Lake Road).
Yesterday, the strong westerly winds pushed the Lionshead Fire down the Whitewater River Canyon. Aviation resources, engines and crews were able to hold the fire west of the J-100 Road and north of the Whitewater River.
P-515 Fire: Crews will continue to build and improve direct and indirect containment lines on the south, west and north flanks. Firefighters are looking for opportunities to capitalize on the work completed last night and tie the lines from the northeast and east flanks of the fire.
Lionshead Fire: Firefighters are preparing the J-440 Road to keep the fire from advancing to the north and the J-100 road is the planned containment line on east. The team plans to utilize the river to keep the fire from spreading further south.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Dry conditions are expected through the weekend with generally light winds. The change in winds could influence fire direction and spread. The fires may see high rates of spread on steep wind facing slopes. Due to abundant dry fuels, difficult terrain, and breezy winds, the Lionshead Fire may see active fire behavior with spotting today.
Road Closures:
- Trout Lake Road at pavement end;
- Road B140 at Potter’s Pond;
- Road B210 and Road P-500.
Evacuations: A Level 1 Evacuation (Get Ready) is in effect for residents on Trout Lake Road east of US-26.
COVID-19: Northwest Team 7 Incident Management Team has implemented precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in both fire camp and the surrounding community. These measures include daily temperature screenings, mandatory use of face coverings, social distancing, and implementing more virtual work. Public and firefighter safety are a top priority.
