DECEPTION COMPLEX FIRE INFORMATION UPDATE
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeceptionORFire
E-mail: DeceptionComplex@gmail.com
Fire Information Line: 541.782.5545
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Fire
|
Acres
|
% Contained
|
Total Personnel
|
Deception
Complex
|
4824
|
64%
|
1024
|
News & Highlights for the Deception
Complex
- Firefighters have made good progress mopping up the E, N, and NW containment lines and holding the W containment line of the fire. Firefighters will continue to mop up, hold the fire line and remove hazardous snags as needed along the W side of the fire line.
- Burnout operations were limited yesterday due to cooler temps and high humidities, and may increase today as weather conditions and visibility allow.
- Fire weather watch is predicted to be in effect beginning tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. through Friday. A warming and drying trend begins tomorrow and will continue through Saturday. This will increase fire behavior, assist with burnout operations and also encourage smoke lift and clearing. Haines Index is 5 on Thursday with potential to be 6 on Friday and Saturday, indicating unstable atmospheric conditions. Fires are more active when the Haines index reaches the 5-6 level.
- Lane County Sheriff’s Department has lifted the Level 1 evacuation notice for the Deception Creek Mobile Home Park, the Middle Fork Ranger Station and houses along La Duke Road.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Deception
Complex Operations Summary:
Deception Fire:
The
cold front that moved over the fire area the last couple of days caused some
challenges for firefighters implementing burnout operations. Aerial ignition
was attempted yesterday along the northwest edge and interior of the fire.
Those cooler temperatures and calmer winds did allow firefighters to low
intensity burn out some understory fuels along a substantial amount of the
western and southern flanks of the fire yesterday to provide a deeper barrier
between the fire and the fire line.
The
high pressure system coming in today will allow for improved burnout operations
over the next few days to further strengthen the perimeter and allow for low
intensity burnouts to remove surface and understory fuels within the interior.
Resources
assigned to the Deception Complex are as follows:
Crews
|
Helicopters
|
Dozers
|
Tenders
|
Engines
|
20
|
8
|
4
|
16
|
43
|
Staley Fire: The spike camp was removed yesterday and one
crew remains at the fire, rehabbing contingency lines. Limited equipment
remains in place. The remaining crew is
expected to be out Saturday.
Davey Fire: Suppression repair
activities have been completed and fire equipment has been removed.
Air
Operations Summary
Four
heavy helicopters including a 2000-gallon capacity Sky Crane, a medium
helicopter, three light helicopters and an air attack platform are assigned to
the Deception Complex. Limited visibility due to smoky conditions is expected
to limit flight time.
● A temporary flight
restriction (TFR) is in place over the Deception Fires 272, 274 and 278 and the
Staley Fire. A military training Route (R346) has been closed due to the TFR.
● Oakridge Airport is closed
to civilian air traffic because 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. A new closure is in effect that adds the 2102 Road to the
closure. Forest Roads 5840, 5847 and 5850 were closed previously and remain
closed. The Larison Rock Trail (Trail
3607) was recently opened. The lower trailhead for Larison Rock Trail is open;
the closure of the 2102 Road means the upper elevation trailhead for Larison
Rock Trail is closed.
●
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 effective as of today, Wednesday
September 10, 2014, 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. Also, the heavy fire traffic
flow on smoky, dusty, narrow forest roads produces serious driving hazards, and
potential smoke exposure to firefighters and public can cause health related
concerns.
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
mobile home park.
WEATHER: Conditions will trend
warmer and drier beginning today. With a
high pressure system off the coast, expect light winds up to 10 mph from the
north/northwest today. Relative humidity
will be in the 20s during the day and mid to high 40s at night. Tomorrow will
be warmer and significantly drier with gusty east/northeast winds up to 20 mph
in the valleys and 25 mph at the ridge tops.
TODAY’S EXPECTED FIRE
BEHAVIOR: Fire
activity will continue to moderate on the southwest perimeter of the fire as the
inversion lifts this afternoon. Isolated
and group tree torching is possible in the west side of the fire.
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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