Rep. Diehl: 10 Oregon Wildfire factoid updates

By Oregon State Representative Ed Diehl,

The Governor’s Office and agencies involved in wildfire held a briefing. I will continue to send updates as I receive them.
Here’s what you should know:

• This is one of the most challenging fire seasons in Oregon’s history by acres burned and cost.

• 1.7 million acres burned, which is a record.

• 32 homes and 95 structures have burned. We have seen success with structural defense keeping those numbers down.

• Multiagency Coordination Center has been game planning what we might see in the later part of August.

• Focusing on strategic planning as winds and weather change.

• Weather this week has cooled in a lot of places down to mid to low 80s. Tonight and tomorrow we have red flag warnings for lighting in Central and North East Oregon. Following the lightning we should see some moisture coming in.

• Senator Wyden’s Office is working on flexibility in grazing based on managing fuel instead of dates.

• ODF has breakdowns by districts burned, but don’t have information on the vegetation type readily available.

• There is an agreement to not conduct FAA investigations while the emergency is in place.

• Vendors will now feel comfortable flying.

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CURRENT FIRES

Southwest Oregon
• Good news for the most part in this area. Districts are keeping up with their initial attack fires.
• Dixon Fire has taken off aggressively this weekend. DOF/OSFM Incident Management Team has been sent to the area.
• Lots of fuel on the ground with difficult terrain. Hope to have quick success here.
• There was concern around the Town of Drew with the Dixon Fire. OSFM feels really good with a hot shot crew coming in to assist with the fire. There are crew in Drew doing strategic planning on structural protection, but OSFM hope to contain the fire before it gets there.
• Assessing damage with a few structures having been lost in the area.

Cascades
• Diamond Complex
• Seeing Middle Fork Fire burning around Crater Lake National Park.
• Highway 230 will be impacted for a while.
• A couple other fires in the area need additional work, but ODF feels like they will have success.
• Cottage Grove Complex has a series of fires that have all burnt together. A team out of North Carolina has been working on this area for the last 21 days, but has now transitioned over to local folks for mop up and glide down.
• Coffee Pot, Chalk, Moss Mountain fires being worked on.
• Ore Fire is being worked on and hope to be shut down within the next week.
• Sandstone Fire is being worked on by the same incident team working with Whiskey Creek Fire.
• Sandstone is hoping to benefit from the cooler weather this week. OSFM is connected to local emergency management on this one with visible trauma to the area.
• Lee Falls Fire 280 acres around Gaston. Successful initial attack with help from landowners and DOC crews.

Eastern Oregon
• Concerns about lighting in the next two days, but existing fires are looking better
• Lone Rock is now in a mop up phase.
• Court Rock is being handed over to the local district
• Battle Mountain waiting for some of the fire to finish burning out before mop up.
• Cow Valley and Durkee are looking better, turning now towards recovery. Been serious devastation in the area.
• Town Gulch ha OSFM move off yesterday, was threatening the community of Halfway. 2 residences and 13 out buildings were lost in the area. Local Fire services taking those fires back
• Falls Fire has turned a corner and is now in a winddown mode. National Guard Crews are working in this area.
• Crazy Creek got their fire ring finished. After today they believe the fire will be in wrap up mode.
• Warner Peak fire has been a challenge in bad conditions, attempting to anchor down the south end.

Columbia Gorge
• Whiskey Creek Fire will be a longer duration challenge. Winds did take fire across the lines and teams are working to capture that. East Side should be locked in and West side is more challenging.