8/15/2014 Deception Creek and Staley Complex Update

Additional crews and equipment continue to arrive at the Hills Creek Fire Camp located just outside of Oakridge, OR. A second heavy lift (Type 1) helicopter has been added to the three helicopters already supporting the firefighting effort. Progress continues to be made as crews locate and secure accessible fires, and work to clear roads and brush to provide safe access to others.  Many fires across the Middle Fork Ranger District are burning in steep terrain.   Due to the limited access and presence of burning, rolling material, some fires are not safe for firefighters to access on the ground.  Inaccessible fires close to the communities of Oakridge and Westfir are being suppressed using helicopter water drops.  Crews are on alert for the return to warm, dry conditions starting this weekend, which may increase fire behavior and cause additional lightning fires to "pop-up" and become visible in the area.

Deception Creek Complex

•      Crews are focusing on three priority fires, with more personnel on the way to assist.

•      Numerous hazard trees are being identified, which creates a bigger focus on the specialized tree cutting crew.

•      More fire personnel will be in the area, but will try to minimize impact on the local communities.

•      There are currently 13 fires; 9 staffed, 3 unstaffed and 1 unable to locate.

Crews	Engines	Tenders	Dozers	Total personnel
3	16	1	2	161

Staley Complex

•      There was minimal fire activity on the Staley and Davey Complex yesterday; containment is at 22%.

•      19 fires, 12 staffed, 4 of those secured and monitored and 6 unable to locate.

•       Staley Fire – 205 acres; Davey Fire – 28 acres; initial attack fires most range from less than an acre to 3 acres with the largest fire,287 Fire, now called the Pool Creek Fire, near the South Fork Groundhog Creek, at 26 acres.

Crews	Engines	Tenders	Dozers	Total personnel
10	25	8	3	491

Middle Fork Ranger District Initial Attack

•        Crews are constructing indirect line and "building a box" on a 22 acre fire burning near Spirit Lake, located two miles west of the boundary of the Waldo Lake Wilderness.

•        Crews continue working to contain new lightning fires in the Falls Creek area.

•        27 fires, 11 staffed, 8 secured and in patrol status and 6 reported that could not be located. Fires range in size from a single tree to 22 acres.    

Crews	Engines	Tenders	Dozers	Total personnel
3	8	1	1	100

For additional Fire Information, call 541-782-5359, or visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4041/

Email us at middleforkfires@gmail.com; for Closure Information visit the Willamette National Forest webpage at:  www.fs.usda.gov/willamette  Follow the Middle Fork fires on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WillametteNF