Deception Complex Fire Updates and other information will no longer be posted and this site will not be monitored. Further updates will continue to be available here:
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4093
Thanks for your interest during the fire.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Deception Creek Fire Update 9/21/14
The high temperature yesterday on the Deception Creek Fire was 91 degrees at 3,500’, and the relative humidity (the amount of moisture in the air) was recorded at 20%. The expected east winds did not develop yesterday and are not predicted for today. Isolated pockets of vegetation continued to burn generating various amounts of smoke throughout the day.
The weather forecast calls for warm and dry conditions until mid-next week when a fall storm system over the Pacific could bring cooler temperatures and up to 0.5” of rain.
The weather forecast calls for warm and dry conditions until mid-next week when a fall storm system over the Pacific could bring cooler temperatures and up to 0.5” of rain.
Fire crews will continue to patrol all areas of the fire and repair adversely impacted sites due to fire suppression activities. Chippers and large material grinders will also continue to remove excess woody debris from roads and fire lines. No helicopters were utilized yesterday to drop water on the fire, due to minimal fire activity.
The 376 firefighters, 3 helicopters, 6 engines, 1 dozer, and 11 water tenders assigned to the Deception Complex are poised to respond if fire activity increases.
Smoke over the communities of Westfir and Oakridge may be noticeable today, but is expected to be light. Westerly winds are predicted to transport smoke away from the fire area later in the day after the inversion layer has lifted. For additional air quality information see the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency website at oregonsmoke.blogspot.com or lrapa.org.
Public use restrictions, area, road and trail closures can be viewed at: Willamette National Forest fs.usda.gov/willamette or Umpqua National Forest fs.usda.gov/umpqua
Today will be the last day that Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 4 will manage the Deception Complex. Tomorrow, a smaller management team will continue meeting containment objectives under the direction of John Poet as the Incident Commander. A new fire information telephone number will be announced tomorrow.
Fire Summary
Size: 6,010 acres
Containment: 90%
Personnel: 376
Location: 2 miles west of Oakridge, OR
Cause: lightning
Road Closures: Patterson Mountain Road and Forest Roads 2102, 5840, 5847, & 5850.
Trail Closures: Deception Trail #3466 and Lawler Trail #3473 are closed.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Deception Creek Fire Update 9/20/14
The Deception Creek Fire remained within control lines yesterday and continued to burn islands of unburned vegetation. The estimate of 6,010 acres burned within containment lines has increased by 50 acres from yesterday.
The weather pattern has switched to a warming and drying trend with above average temperatures. Fortunately, recent light rains have kept the relative humidity at levels around 50%. This has moderated the fire behavior and slowed the spread of the fire. A light east wind is expected today and will further reduce the relative humidity to as low as 20% in exposed areas by this afternoon.
Fire crews will continue to patrol all areas of the fire and repair fire-suppression activities. Chippers and large material grinders will also continue to remove excess woody debris from roads and fire lines. No helicopters were utilized yesterday to drop water on the fire, due to minimal fire activity.
The 409 firefighters, 3 helicopters, 9 engines, 1 dozer, and 12 water tenders assigned to the Deception Complex are poised to respond if fire activity increases.
Smoke over the communities of Westfir and Oakridge may be noticeable today, but is expected to be light. East winds are predicted to transport smoke away from the fire area later in the day after the inversion layer is lifted. For additional air quality information see the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency website at oregonsmoke.blogspot.com or lrapa.org
The closure order placed over the Staley Fire has been terminated by the Willamette National Forest and all roads, trails and area previously closed are now open for public use. Other public use restrictions, area, road and trail closures can be viewed at:
The weather pattern has switched to a warming and drying trend with above average temperatures. Fortunately, recent light rains have kept the relative humidity at levels around 50%. This has moderated the fire behavior and slowed the spread of the fire. A light east wind is expected today and will further reduce the relative humidity to as low as 20% in exposed areas by this afternoon.
Fire crews will continue to patrol all areas of the fire and repair fire-suppression activities. Chippers and large material grinders will also continue to remove excess woody debris from roads and fire lines. No helicopters were utilized yesterday to drop water on the fire, due to minimal fire activity.
The 409 firefighters, 3 helicopters, 9 engines, 1 dozer, and 12 water tenders assigned to the Deception Complex are poised to respond if fire activity increases.
Smoke over the communities of Westfir and Oakridge may be noticeable today, but is expected to be light. East winds are predicted to transport smoke away from the fire area later in the day after the inversion layer is lifted. For additional air quality information see the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency website at oregonsmoke.blogspot.com or lrapa.org
The closure order placed over the Staley Fire has been terminated by the Willamette National Forest and all roads, trails and area previously closed are now open for public use. Other public use restrictions, area, road and trail closures can be viewed at:
Willamette National Forest - fs.usda.gov/willamette or
Umpqua National Forest - fs.usda.gov/umpqua
Umpqua National Forest - fs.usda.gov/umpqua
Fire Summary
Size: 6,010 acres
Containment: 85%
Personnel: 409
Location: 2 miles west of Oakridge, OR
Cause: lightning
Road Closures: Patterson Mountain Road and Forest Roads 2102, 5840, 5847, & 5850.
Trail Closures: Deception Trail #3466 and Lawler Trail #3473 are closed.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Deception Creek Fire Update 9/19/14
The Deception Creek Fire remained within control lines yesterday and continued to burn islands of unburned vegetation. The estimate of acres burned within containment lines has not increased from yesterday because an infrared flight was not flown due to a heavy cloud cover. The infrared images identity hot areas and are used to determine the burned acres.
Yesterday, isolated pockets and various amounts of rain fell over the fire area. Weather stations near the fire recorded rain amounts up to 0.2 inches.
The Deception Creek Fire continues to be managed under a full suppression strategy which is designed to keep the fire size as small as possible while maintaining public and firefighter safety, and protecting natural resources.
Helicopters were not utilized yesterday to drop water on the fire, due to minimal fire activity. Large wood chippers will be used again today along the eastern perimeter of the fire to remove excess vegetation. A wood grinder, capable of shredding large diameter material will also be used. Repair of fire suppression activities will continue in all parts of the fire.
The 442 firefighters, 4 helicopters, 13 engines, 1 dozer, and 13 water tenders assigned to the Deception Complex are poised to respond if the fire escapes any containment line.
Air quality over the communities of Westfir and Oakridge is expected to be in the moderate range today. For additional air quality information see the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency website at oregonsmoke.blogspot.com or lrapa.org
The closure order placed over the Staley Fire has been terminated by the Willamette National Forest and all roads, trails and area previously closed are now open for public use. Other public use restrictions, area, road and trial closures can be viewed at:
Willamette National Forest - fs.usda.gov/willamette Umpqua National Forest - fs.usda.gov/umpqua
Willamette National Forest - fs.usda.gov/willamette Umpqua National Forest - fs.usda.gov/umpqua
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Deception Creek Fire Update 9/18/14
Yesterday, the Deception Creek Fire stayed within established control lines and continued to burn islands of unburned vegetation. This has produced periods of heavy smoke in the nearby communities of Oakridge and Westfir and dispersed smoke elsewhere depending on the transport winds at the time. An infrared flight over the fire area has been used on previous nights to determine the hot spots or heat signatures within the fireline. The burned acres have been increasing to reflect the additional areas burned. Todays estimate of acres burned has not increased because a the infrared imaging could not penetrate a heavy cloud cover over the fire last night.
This morning, light rain started to fall in Oakridge and over the fire. Predictions today are for continued sporadic showers dropping 0.1 to 0.2 inches of rain.
The Deception Creek Fire continues to be managed under a full suppression strategy which is designed to keep the fire size as small as possible while maintaining public and firefighter safety, and protecting natural resources.
No helicopters were utilized yesterday to drop water on the fire, due to minimal fire activity. Some additional heavy equipment will be used today to clean up cut vegetation from fire line construction efforts. Three to four large wood chippers will be used on recently cleared roads along the eastern perimeter of the fire. A wood grinder, capable of shredding large diameter material will also be used.
The 600 firefighters, 4 helicopters, 19 engines, 2 dozers, and 11 water tenders assigned to the Deception Complex are poised to respond if the fire escapes any containment line.
Air quality over the communities of Westfir and Oakridge is expected to be in the low to moderate range again today. For additional air quality information see the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency website at oregonsmoke.blogspot.com or lrapa.org
The closure order placed over the Staley Fire has been terminated by the Willamette National Forest and all roads, trails and area previously closed are now open for public use. Other public use restrictions, area, road and trail closures can be viewed at:
Willamette National Forest - fs.usda.gov/willamette or
Umpqua National Forest - fs.usda.gov/umpqua
Fire Summary
Size: 5,960 acres
Containment: 80%
Personnel: 600
Location: 2 miles west of Oakridge, OR
Cause: lightning
Road Closures: Patterson Mountain Road and Forest Roads 2102, 5840, 5847, & 5850.
Trail Closures: Deception Trail #3466 and Lawler Trail #3473 are closed.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Deception Creek Fire Update 9/17/14
The Deception Creek Fire stayed within established control lines and continued to burn another 86 acres yesterday. Islands of unburned vegetation along the western perimeter of the fire continued to burn and produced events of heavy smoke.
A new weather pattern is developing over Western Oregon today that contains more moisture, lower temperatures and a denser cloud cover. Today, there is a slight chance of isolated thundershowers followed by further cooling. Thursday, there is a 50% chance of showers dropping 0.1 to 0.2 inches of rain.
The Deception Creek Fire continues to be managed under a full suppression strategy which is designed to keep the fire size as small as possible while maintaining public and firefighter safety, and protecting natural resources.
Mop up (extinguishing all burning material) along the perimeter of the fire is progressing as planned and may be completed within the next few days making the containment lines more secure. As more vegetation within the fire lines is burnt, fire managers feel more confident in meeting containment objectives.
The 671 firefighters, 4 helicopters, 37 engines, 2 dozers, and 15 water tenders assigned to the Deception Complex are poised to respond if the fire escapes any containment line.
Air quality over the communities of Westfir and Oakridge is expected to be in the low to moderate range today. For additional air quality information see the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency website at oregonsmoke.blogspot.com or lrapa.org
The closure order placed over the Staley Fire has been terminated by the Willamette National Forest and all roads, trails and area previously closed are now open for public use. Other public use restrictions, area, road and trail closures can be viewed at: Willamette National Forest - fs.usda.gov/willamette or Umpqua National Forest - fs.usda.gov/umpqua
SUMMARY
Size: 5,960 acres
Containment: 75%
Personnel: 671
Location: 2 miles west of Oakridge, OR
Cause: lightning
Road Closures: Patterson Mountain Road and Forest Roads 2102, 5840, 5847, & 5850.
Trail Closures: Deception Trail #3466 and Lawler Trail #3473 are closed.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Deception Complex Fire Update 9/16/14
The Deception Creek Fire continued to burn actively yesterday, but did stay within established control lines. Unburned islands of vegetation remain mostly along the western perimeter of the fire that will continue to burn and produce smoke for days to come.
The Red Flag Warning has expired this morning as more moisture moved into the area and the risk of thunderstorms has been reduced.
The Deception Creek Fire continues to be managed under a full suppression strategy which is designed to keep the fire size as small as possible while maintaining public and firefighter safety, and protecting natural resources.
Mop up (extinguishing all burning material) along the perimeter of the fire is progressing as planned and may be completed within the next few days making the containment lines more secure. As more vegetation within the fire lines is burnt, fire managers feel more confident in meeting containment objectives.
Today, temperatures are expected to be cooler and the relative humidity (the amount of moisture in the air) is predicted to be higher. The increase humidity will reduce the fire behavior but may also increase the amount of smoke generated from burning vegetation.
The 731 firefighters, 6 helicopters, 34 engines, 2 dozers, and 21 water tenders assigned to the Deception Complex are poised to respond if the fire escapes any containment line.
Air quality over the communities of Westfir and Oakridge is expected to be in the moderate range today. For additional air quality information see the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency website at oregonsmoke,blogspot.com or lrapa.org.
Public use restrictions and area, road and trial closures are in effect. They can be viewed at:
Willamette National Forest - fs.usda.gov/willamette
Umpqua National Forest - fs.usda.gov/umpqua
Monday, September 15, 2014
Deception Creek Fire Update for 9/15/14
The Deception Creek Fire burned actively on Sunday, but did not escape established control lines. Smoke from the Deception Complex and other fires in Oregon and California affected air quality in the Willamette Valley on Sunday. Air quality in the Oakridge and Westfir areas reached hazardous conditions at times on Sunday due specifically to the Deception Creek Fire.
A Red Flag Warning has been extended to 05:00 a.m.Tuesday morning due to low relative humidity (the amount of moisture in the air), atmospheric instability, and the potential for dry thunderstorms. Because of the threat of additional fires, some Deception Creek fire suppression resources will be assigned Monday to respond to any calls for initial attack on new fire starts.
A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has been requested to consider the fire effects and recommend actions to help mitigate after fire impacts to the Deception Creek watershed.
The Deception Fire continues to be managed under a full suppression strategy which is designed to keep the fire size as small as possible while maintaining public and firefighter safety, and protecting natural resources.
Mop up (extinguishing all burning material) continued along the east, north, and northwest containment lines yesterday. Firefighters continued to hold and improve fire lines along the west edge of the fire. Low intensity, backing fires in the Fivepoint Hill and Kueger Rock areas burned within the established fire lines through much of yesterday, further securing containment lines in those areas. A few areas did not burn as completely as expected and may have the potential to reburn as fuels continue to dry. Yesterday, a heavy-lift helicopter dropping water was successfully used to cool down a flare-up near containment lines in the Little Deception Rock area.
Similar suppression activities are planned for today, to keep the fire within containment lines. The 736 firefighters, 7 helicopters, 37 engines, 2 dozers, and 21 water tenders assigned to the Deception Complex are poised to respond if the fire escapes any containment line or to respond to any newly discovered fire from predicted dry thunderstorms this afternoon.
Light to moderate smoke settled into low-lying areas over night and will last into mid-morning. Winds out of the west and southwest will periodically push smoke into Westfir and Oakridge throughout the day and may become heavy in the early afternoon. For additional air quality information see the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency website at oregonsmoke,blogspot.com or lrapa.org.
Fire Summary
Size: 5,737 acres
Containment: 75%
Personnel: 736
Location: 2 miles west of Oakridge, OR
Cause: lightning
Road Closures: Patterson Mountain Road and Forest Roads 2102, 5840, 5847, & 5850. All roads in the Staley Fire vicinity are also closed.
Trail Closures: Deception Trail #3466 and Lawler Trail #3473 are closed.
Fire Information: 541-782-5545
DeceptionComplex@gmail.com
Public use restrictions and area, road and trial closures are in effect and can be viewed at:
Willamette National Forest - fs.usda.gov/willamette
Umpqua National Forest - fs.usda.gov/umpqua
Friday, September 12, 2014
Deception Complex PNW2 IMT Final Update
At 0600 on Saturday, September 13, PNW Team 2 (Incident Commander Chris Schulte) will transfer command of the Deception Complex to Oregon Team 4 (IC Brian Watts). New fire updates will still be available by calling the Fire Information Line at 541-782-5545 or online at Inciweb or our social media sites which will continue to be maintained by the Oregon Team 4.
- http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/
incident/4093/ - https://www.facebook.com/
DeceptionComplex - http://deceptioncomplex.
blogspot.com/ - https://twitter.com/
deceptionorfire - https://www.flickr.com/photos/
deceptioncomplex/
Incident Commander Chris Schulte and the rest of PNW Team 2 would like to extend our thanks to the communities of Oakridge and Westfir, Willamette National Forest, Oregon Department of Forestry, Umpqua National Forest, Lane County, Oakridge/Hazeldell Fire Department, Lowell Rural Fire Protection District, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon State Police, Bureau of Reclamation, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency and the many other cooperators we worked with during the Deception Complex.
^MARH
Deception Complex Information Update 9/12/2014
DECEPTION COMPLEX FIRE INFORMATION UPDATE
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeceptionORFire
E-mail: DeceptionComplex@gmail.com
Fire Information Line: 541.782.5545
News & Highlights for the Deception
Complex
- A Red Flag Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity has been extended through 8:00 p.m. Sunday. The warming and drying trend will continue through the weekend. This will increase fire behavior today and encourage smoke to lift and clear. Haines Index is a 6 High today and predicted to continue into Saturday, indicating unstable atmospheric conditions.
- Firefighters and air resources are prepared to take action should the fire make active runs towards the west flank. No burnout activities are planned for today.
- Oregon Team #4 Incident Commander (Brian Watts) will “shadow” Pacific Northwest Team #2 (Chris Schulte) today and assume command of the fire on Saturday at 6:00 a.m.
- Firefighters continue to make good progress mopping up the east, north, and northwest containment lines. They continue to hold and improve fire lines along the west edge of the fire. Meanwhile, sawyers are falling hazard trees along much of the western perimeter to make areas safe for firefighters during mop up.
- As the thermal low moves in and out over the fire, winds will shift radically and increased fire behavior is expected in the interior, especially in the Kreuger Rock, Fivepoint Hill and Deception Rock areas.
- Public use restrictions and Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) III is in effect for the Willamette National Forest. Visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/willamette. Public use restrictions and IFPL III is in effect on the Umpqua National Forest, and the Douglas Forest Protective Association is under a Regulated Use Closure. Visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/umpqua or http://www.dfpa.net
- With hot, dry weather forecasted through the weekend, fire officials are asking forest users to know the restrictions on campfires and other high risk fire activities, before they head to the woods.
- Moderate smoke impacts are expected this morning due to smoke settling in low-lying areas throughout the night. Air quality conditions will improve by mid-afternoon as the inversion lifts. Smoke monitors have been placed to keep the public apprised of current smoke conditions. Information from smoke monitors in the Oakridge area is incorporated in the daily Deception Complex smoke forecast which is posted on the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency website at http://www.lrapa.org or http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com
- There is a clean air facility at the Willamette Activity Center in Oakridge that is open Mon-Fri from 9-5 p.m. The center may also be opened in the evening on an as needed basis. Please call the Red Cross Coordinator Jerry Shorey at 541-915-3880 or the Oakridge Police Department at 541-782-4232.
- Motorists traveling Highway 58 are advised to proceed with caution near the community of Oakridge/Westfir due to smoke, particularly during the school week, and amidst continuing heavy fire traffic.
- A Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation Team (BAER Team) has been ordered and will be arriving in the next few weeks to assess current conditions.
Deception
Complex Operations Summary:
Deception Fire:
Yesterday’s high pressure system over the Pacific resulted in
lower humidity, higher temperature, and higher wind speed. Mop up and control
continues today. Air resources were able
to fly early and often yesterday, cooling the fire in the Krueger Rock and
Deception Creek areas.
As the high pressure system strengthens over the fire area
today, the fire is expected to become much more active. The escalating fire
behavior today will increase the potential for group tree torching and possibly
even intense burning of unburned islands within the fire perimeter, potentially
creating a convective column. Ground and air resources are prepared to respond and
hold the west fire containment lines as needed.
The following resources are assigned to the Deception Complex:
|
Crews
|
Helicopters
|
Dozers
|
Tenders
|
Engines
|
|
19
|
8
|
3
|
13
|
45
|
Staley Fire: Management of the fire will be returned to the
Middlefork Ranger District today.
Air
Operations Summary
Five heavy helicopters, including a 2000-gallon capacity Sky
Crane, and two light helicopters, one medium helicopter and three scooper
planes are available to the Deception Complex today. These resources will be
available to assist with control of any fire that approaches the existing fire
lines.
● A temporary flight
restriction (TFR) is in place over the Deception Fires 272, 274 and 278.
Military Training Route R346 remains closed due to the TFR.
● Oakridge Airport remains
closed to civilian air traffic as it is currently serving as the helibase for
the Deception Complex.
Willamette
National Forest Area & Trail Closures:
There
are two closures on the Willamette NF associated with the Deception Complex:
●
The Deception Fire closure is an area, road and trail closure
that currently includes the Lawler and Deception Trails and the Patterson
Mountain Road. Forest Roads 2102, 5840, 5847 and 5850 remain closed. The Larison Rock Trail (Trail 3607) was
recently opened and visitors can access the lower trailhead. However, access to
the upper elevation Larison Rock Trailhead is blocked due to the Forest Road
2102 closure.
●
The Staley Fire closure includes an area and road closure.
Umpqua National Forest
Closure:
●
There is an area, road and trail closure southwest of the
Deception Complex. Forest Road 17 remains open to Spirit Falls.
●
Public use restrictions on campfires, smoking, motorized
travel, and internal combustion engines are in currently in effect, through October
9, 2014, unless sooner rescinded.
Check
Inciweb for full closure information, including maps: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4093/ or visit the Willamette
National Forest at http://www.fs.usda.gov/willamette or the Umpqua National
Forest http://www.fs.usda.gov/umpqua.
SAFETY
CONCERNS: Driving hazards exist from smoke on the highway mixed with
school traffic and the up-coming weekend tourist traffic. Heavy fire traffic on
smoky, dusty, narrow forest roads produces serious driving hazards. Potential firefighter
and public smoke exposure may cause health related concerns. As the primary
winds shift, firefighters will be exposed to increasing numbers of falling
fire-weakened trees.
RESOURCE
CONCERNS: Threatened and endangered species, including northern
spotted owls and bull trout; timber resources, impacts to recreation opportunities,
threatened communities of Oakridge and Westfir, municipal watershed of Westfir,
Deception Creek watershed above the Deception mobile home park.
WEATHER: South east winds are predicted this morning,
shifting to the south west this afternoon with wind gusts in the lower teens. Warmer,
drier conditions are expected to continue today through Sunday. As a result of
the high pressure system moving in and out over the fire, winds are expected to
be erratic with gusts up to15-18 mph in the afternoon and relative humidity is
likely to drop to 11% to 19% today and tomorrow.
TODAY’S
EXPECTED FIRE BEHAVIOR: Increased wind speed and low relative humidity
will combine to create critical fire weather conditions. The escalating fire behavior
will increase the potential for group tree torching and test containment lines
on the west perimeter. This could result in large columns of smoke lifting
above the fire at times during the day.
COOPERATING AGENCIES &
PARTNERS: Willamette
National Forest, Oregon Department of Forestry, Umpqua National Forest, Lane
County, Oakridge/Hazeldell Fire Department, Lowell Rural Fire Protection
District, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon State Police, Bureau of
Reclamation, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency.
The
Deception Complex was ignited by lightning on August 12, 2014 and is located
two miles west of Oakridge, Oregon.
-END-
^MARH
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