Saturday, August 9, 2014

8/9/2014 9:00 am Beaver Complex Update

August 9, 2014

9:00 a.m.

Special Message:

Unified command with CAL FIRE ended yesterday at 6:00 pm. The Oregon Department of Forestry would like to thank both CAL FIRE and the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office for the fantastic cohesive and collaborative effort during this incident. We could not serve the citizens of Oregon and California to the level they deserve without these partnerships in place.

Current Situation (Oregon Gulch Fire):

Winds over the fire were lighter than expected yesterday which kept fire activity calm over the majority of the fire. These conditions gave firefighters the opportunity to continue progress towards full containment. Crews are identifying and extinguishing pockets of burning embers and working towards having the fire mopped up 500 feet in from the fireline along the entire perimeter.

Currently, fuels are as dry as they would normally be in mid to late-September making conditions ripe for a large fire. With the expected lightning event and red flag warning coming in the next few days, firefighters were reminded to keep their situational awareness about changing fire conditions. Crews are on standby to respond to any new fire starts that may occur.

Weather and Fire Behavior:

Today’s weather is expected to be warmer and drier with unstable conditions. Temperatures are expected to be between 88 and 93 degrees with relative humidity between 15 and 20%. A red flag warning has been issued starting at 11:00 am on Sunday extending to 5:00 am on Tuesday. Forecasters are calling for abundant lightning during that time.

Fire Statistics for Oregon Gulch

Location: 15 miles east of Ashland, OR Percent Contained: 58%

Size: 35,093 acres (9,464 acres in California) Cause: Lightning

Start Date: 7/30/14

Oregon wildland resources assigned to the complex include: 48 Type 2 hand crews, 4 camp crews, 59 engines, 12 dozers, 29 water tenders, and overhead personnel.

Air resources: 11 helicopters

Total personnel: 1442

Evacuation orders by county:

Jackson County

The evacuation level for residents from the 6,000 block south to the Oregon Border on Copco Road remains at a Level 1 Evacuation. Access to Copco Road is limited to residents and emergency services only. Residents living along Highway 66 in Jackson County between the 11,000 and 22,000 block are still under a Level 1 Evacuation. This does not impact people living in Keno. Level 1 Evacuation means “BE READY” for potential evacuation. Residents should be aware of the danger that exists in their area, monitor emergency services websites and local media outlets for information.

Klamath County

Current roadblocks remain at Road 106 (Camp 4) south from Highway 66.

For the complex, 270 homes and 50 outbuildings are threatened; 6 homes were destroyed.

Places to get information: