FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 10, 2021

Contact:

Glen Ahrens
Oregon State University Extension Service

Wildfire Preparedness for Hood River County

Join OSU Extension Forestry & Natural Resources, Oregon Department of Forestry, Hood River County Emergency Management and other partners to learn about wildfire preparedness in Hood River County. This online Zoom meeting will help you:

·       Prepare your home and property to reduce risk of burning in the event of fire in your neighborhood.

·       Prepare yourself and your family for wildfire and possible evacuation.

·       Understand local emergency planning, alert systems and fire response.

·       Learn from local success stories about community-driven action to develop Firewise communities.

·       Find resources and assistance to help you prepare for wildfire

This session will build on previous OSU Extension “Fire aware. Fire prepared” webinars. Visit beav.es/FAFP to view videos and resources.

 

When: August 25, 2021 6:00-7:30 pm

Where: Online through Zoom

Cost: This meeting is free

Register: https://beav.es/39j

Email: glenn.ahrens@oregonstate.edu

Call: 503-655-8631

 

Oregon State University Extension Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services, activities, and materials on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, genetic information, veteran’s status, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) This publication will be made available in an accessible alternative format upon request. Please contact 503-655-8631 for information. Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Family and Community Health, 4-H Youth, Forestry   &  Natural Resources, Extension Sea Grant, and Open Campus programs. Oregon State University, United States Department of Agriculture, and Hood River County cooperating.

Firefighters Able to Secure Fires from This Week’s Thunderstorms

[John Day, Ore.]  No new fires were reported in the John Day Unit Thursday.  Significant progress was made on mop-up and containment of fires from earlier this week.

Containment for the Cottonwood Creek Fire has reached 95% on the 159-acre fire.  The fire will transition to a Type 5 incident commander Saturday.  One hand crew will complete mop-up work, gridding for hot spots.  These resources will pull hose and other equipment from the fire.  The fire will be in patrol status at the end of shift on Saturday.

The one-acre Dissel Creek Fire, reported Tuesday evening burning five miles southeast of John Day, was fully contained late Thursday evening.

Tomorrow crews on the Cole Canyon Fire will continue mop-up work, anticipating the fire to be fully contained Saturday evening.  Two crews, a water cat, and a tender will be staffing the fire.  The fire burned 150 acres of private land and Prineville Bureau of Land Management ownership.

All of these fires will be placed in patrol status and monitored until determined to be dead out.  It is possible interior smoke may be visible.  These “smokes” will be put out if they are found to have the potential to spread fire outside the fireline.

A Regulated-Use Closure is in effect for the Central Oregon District to reduce human caused fires.  The full proclamation and restrictions are available at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/PFR.html.  Preventing human caused fires allows firefighters to focus suppression effort on fires started by lightning.  These focused activities result in smaller fires with less damage to natural resources and communities and fewer impacts to air quality.

For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact information and unit offices, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.

 Firefighters continue to Secure and Mop-up Fires and Prepare for More

[John Day, Ore.]  No new fires were reported in the John Day Unit Wednesday.  Extended attack on fires in the John Day Unit have been fully transitioned to mop-up.  Today this work will continue as firefighters prepare for strong winds as thunderstorms pass through the area.  Firefighting resources from these fires will be available to assist in initial attack of any new fire starts today.   

Management of the Cottonwood Creek Fire transitioned to a Type 4 incident commander Wednesday.  Crews on the fire continue to grid for smoldering fuel and extinguish hot spots as they work toward the interior of the fire from the perimeter.  Two hand crews, five wildland engines, and one water tender are assigned to the fire.  The remaining mop-up work is expected to last several more days.

Resources on the Dissel Creek Fire, reported Tuesday evening burning five miles southeast of John Day, will continue mop-up work today.  The ~1 acre fire is staffed with four engines and a squad.  The fire is anticipated to be transitioned to patrol status at the end of shift today.

Fireline construction is nearly complete on the 150-acre Cole Canyon Fire.  Yesterday helicopters and Single Engine Air Tankers were used to slow the spread of the fire, allowing hand crews to build fireline adjacent to the fire’s edge.  This work, along with mop-up in other area’s of the fire have increased containment to 25%.  Today four 20-person hand crews, two wildland engines, two water tenders, and four skidgines will work to complete the line around the fire, strengthen the existing fireline, and work to increase the cold black area between the fire and the fireline.  Aircraft is available to assist firefighters as needed. 

A red flag warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for the area for abundant lightning and gusty winds.  This weather in combination with severely dry fuels poses a high risk of rapid fire spread. 

A Regulated-Use Closure is in effect for the Central Oregon District to reduce human caused fires.  The full proclamation and restrictions are available at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/PFR.html.  Preventing human caused fires allows firefighters to focus suppression effort on fires started by lightning.  These focused activities result in smaller fires with less damage to natural resources and communities and fewer impacts to air quality.

For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact information and unit offices, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.

Dissel Creek Fire-Late Tuesday Evening

 More Fires Reported from Thunderstorms, More Expected

[John Day, Ore.]  Late Tuesday evening two new fires were reported on private land protected by Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) John Day Unit.  The Dissel Creek Fire was reported just before 6:00 p.m., burning five miles southeast of John Day.  While firefighters worked to stop the initial spread of the Dissel Creek Fire a report for a second fire, the Cole Canyon Fire, was received.  This fire is located seven miles northeast of Monument. 

The Dissel Creek Fire was 100% contained late Tuesday night with a combination of hand and dozer line around the fire’s perimeter.  A small spot across the fireline was secured by firefighters this morning.  Fire crews will work today to strengthen the perimeter and mop-up the interior of the fire, gridding through the fire to find flames and heat.  Dozers, wildland engines, helitack, a Type 4 engine from Prairie City Rural, a helicopter with bucket, and a single engine air tanker (SEAT) were used to check the fire spread at just over one acre.  An isolated lightning strike Tuesday evening ignited the Dissel Creek Fire.

This morning the Cole Canyon Fire is estimated to be 75 acres with dozer line around 50% of the fire’s edge.  Dozers will continue fireline construction today.  Three 20-person contract crews will arrive this morning to work with the dozers to strengthen the fireline and construct hand line in areas too steep for dozers to safely work.  Additional wildland engines and overhead will also be arriving this morning.  Local aircraft, a helicopter and three SEATs have been ordered for the fire this morning to assist in holding the fire in place while line is being constructed.  The fire is burning on private lands and Prineville Bureau of Land Management lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry. 

Firefighters on the Cottonwood Creek Fire, five miles south of Fossil, have made significant progress mopping-up the fire’s interior.  Containment has increased to 65% today, with plans for transitioning the fire to a Type 4 organization later this morning.  Two hand crews and four contract wildland engines remain on the fire to complete the mop-up work. 

Fire crews will be focusing work to secure fire perimeters in anticipation of a cold front moving through on Thursday.  Strong wind and additional lightning is forecast for the coming days.  Additional holdover fires from thunderstorms earlier this week are also a concern today as temperatures warm.

A Regulated-Use Closure is in effect for the Central Oregon District to reduce human caused fires.  The full proclamation and restrictions are available at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/PFR.html.  Preventing human caused fires allows firefighters to focus suppression effort on fires started by lightning.  These focused activities result in smaller fires with less damage to natural resources and communities and fewer impacts to air quality.

For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact information and unit offices, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.

 Cottonwood Creek Fire Update

[John Day, Ore.]  Operations across the 159 acre Cottonwood Creek Fire have fully transitioned to mop-up work.  Hoselays have been completed, with water being distributed to all parts of the fire as needed.  Containment for the fire has increased to 40% as of late Monday afternoon.  The fire was ignited by lighting from a passing thunderstorm Thursday afternoon, but was not reported until mid-day Friday.  Dozers, wildland engines, helicopters and airtankers were successful in stopping forward growth of the fire by late Friday evening.

Burning snags and “rollers” have concerned firefighters for the last several days as they worked to strengthen firelines and keep the fire within the original footprint.  “Rollers” are burning chunks of logs or other material that can ignite un-burned fuels as they roll down steep terrain.  These “rollers” and embers from the snags can create spotfires outside the fire’s edge.  The work completed by firefighters to mop-up and cool active areas of the fire, fall snags and widen the cold black adjacent to the dozer line has significantly mitigated the risk of the fire moving outside the fireline.  Firefighters will continue mop-up work on the fire, focusing on areas of active flames and gridding for heat near the fireline.

The fire is being managed by a Type 3 organization from ODF’s Central Oregon District. Ten wildland engines, five hand crews, three water tenders, and additional overhead are assigned to the fire.  Local aircraft are available as need to support firefighting activities.

A Regulated-Use Closure is in effect for the Central Oregon District to reduce human caused fires.  The closure restricts mowing of dried grass, cutting and grinding of metal, and chainsaw use between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. as well as prohibiting campfires, cooking fires and warming fires.  The full proclamation and restrictions are available at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/PFR.html.  Industrial operations on forestland within the Central Oregon District also have restrictions in place.  Details for these activities are found at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/IFPL.html.  Preventing human caused fires allows firefighters to focus suppression effort on fires started by lightning.  These focused activities result in smaller fires with less damage to natural resources and communities and fewer impacts to air quality.

For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact information and unit offices, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.

 

Helicopter dropping water on a fallen snag
near the fire's perimeter on Saturday.

Cottonwood Creek Fire Update

[John Day, Ore.]  Overnight the Cottonwood Creek Fire remained within the established firelines.  Light precipitation fell across the fire but was not enough to impact fire fighting activity today.  On Saturday the fire was mapped at 159 acres with 10% containment.  The increased size is due to improved mapping by firefighters, not from fire growth.  The fire was reported mid-day Friday approximately five miles south of Fossil, burning on private lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Central Oregon District.

Firefighters worked Saturday to reduce heat and flames near the fire’s edge and strengthening the dozer line.  Helicopters were used to cool areas of intense heat, allowing firefighters to break down larger fuels and mop-up these areas.  Snags within the fire perimeter, especially near the fire’s edge created both a hazard to firefighters and posed a risk of spreading fire across firelines into unburned fuels.  Firefighters focused on falling these snags Saturday.  A few minor slopovers occurred due to rolling burning material in steep terrain and embers from falling snags.  Firefighters were able to quickly build fireline around these areas and mop-up any heat in the area.

Today firefighters will be working to increase the area of cold black between the dozer line and areas of heat or flame.  They will be focusing in the areas of timber and heavier fuels which typically hold fire longer.  Firefighters will use tenders and hoselays to distribute water around the fire area to use in this mop-up work.  A hoselay allows firefighters to pump water from an engine or portable tank through a series of hoses to efficiently provide water to all parts of the fire.  

The fire is being managed by a Type 3 organization from ODF’s Central Oregon District. Twelve wildland engines, five hand crews, three water tenders, a dozer, and additional overhead are assigned to the fire.  Local aircraft are available as need to support firefighting activities.

A Regulated-Use Closure is in effect for the Central Oregon District to reduce human caused fires.  The closure restricts mowing of dried grass, cutting and grinding of metal, and chainsaw use between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. as well as prohibiting campfires, cooking fires and warming fires.  The full proclamation and restrictions are available at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/PFR.html.  Industrial operations on forestland within the Central Oregon District also have restrictions in place.  Details for these activities are found at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/IFPL.html.  Preventing human caused fires allows firefighters to focus suppression effort on fires started by lightning.  These focused activities result in smaller fires with less damage to natural resources and communities and fewer impacts to air quality.

For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact information and unit offices, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.