Middle Fork Complex fires are mainly responsible for CO smoke, containment is a challenge

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(Update: added video, comment from USFS officials)

BEND, Oregon (KTVZ) – More than a month after lightning started nearly two dozen fires in the Willamette National Forest, their smoke impact is still being felt here in central Oregon.

And they could stay a little longer.

Katie Hetts, fire behavior analyst for the US Forest Service, told NewsChannel 21 on Monday: “It will really take time to put out this fire.

Numerous fires at the Middle Fork complex have been fully contained since their discovery on July 29.

Madeline Herrmann, public information officer for the US Forest Service, said: “Now there are two, we started with somewhere between 20 and 22 fires.”

The Gales and Kwis fires remain from the Middle Fork complex, north of Oakridge, but the larger Gales fire is only 12% contained.

Hetts said the pitch made it difficult.

“Deep river canyons and very steep terrain,” she said. “All of which have very tall trees.”

As the Kwis fire is almost completely under control, Hetts said he needed some sort of weather event to contain the Gales fire of more than 23,000 acres.

Until then, central Oregon will remain with smoke, unless the wind turns dramatically.

Other fires south of the Middle Fork complex are contributing to the smoke, and even several large fires in northern California are having an impact.

Forest Service Air Resources Advisor Jill Webster said: “Unfortunately I think you see a lot of intermittent smoke until the fires stop actively burning, or burn to the point where they give off enough smoke to impact on air quality. “

Webster added that a high pressure system and lack of wind caused our smoky skies.

Some of the added smoke comes from suppression efforts

“One of the ways we use to contain fire is to fight fire with fire with gunnery operations, depletion operations,” Hetts said.

As these become more successful, Hetts said, she hopes containment numbers start to rise.

Below are the Monday morning updates for the Middle Fork Complex and the Burning Bull Complex north of Detroit:

Middle Fork Complex Update for Monday September 6th

Northwest Incident Management Team 6

Shawn Sheldon, Incident Commander

Phone: 425-324-1267 (8 am-8pm)

Email: [email protected]

InciWeb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7745

Facebook: facebook.com/MiddleForkComplex

Twitter: twitter.com/willametteNF

Origin / Location: North of Oakridge, OR

Gales: 23,358 acres and 12% contained Detection date / time: July 29, 2021, 2:00 p.m.

Kwis: 1,485 acres and 98% contained Number of staff: 686

Total: 24,930 acres and 20% content Cause: lightning

Westfir, OR Numerous snags and smoky conditions make direct fire attacks dangerous in steep terrain. The primary and secondary line on the Gales fire is constructed and reinforced as close to the fire as possible to ensure the safety of the firefighters. The highest priority for strategic burning from a hand-built, bulldozer line with the most staff is located on Route 1825 near Nevergo Creek; teams work night and day to take advantage of current conditions. On the northeast flank of the fire to Delp Creek, a line is being built along Highway 1846 from previous strategic burning operations near Buzzard Creek. Firefighters are bracing for increased fire behavior on Tuesday afternoon.

On the Kwis fire, an engine crew continued diligent work to break up and extinguish any remaining burning materials near the fire perimeter. Every once in a while we find a stump hole burning, said Ryan Sullivan, chief of field operations.

Weather: Sunday was hot and dry, but thanks to some coastal humidity and atmospheric stability, the fire behavior was moderate. Nighttime conditions brought slightly higher humidity this morning, with temperatures between the 1970s and mid-1980s. Stagnant and stable air will create a smoky day and poor flying conditions for helicopters. Tuesday we expect to see low humidity, high temperatures and gusts of up to 18 mph later today, with thunderstorms possible east of the Cascades. Increased fire behavior on Gales Fire is likely. From Wednesday, cooler temperatures will continue through the weekend, along with favorable weather conditions for fighting fires.

Smoke: No interruption is expected in hazardous air quality for the areas surrounding the fire: including the McKenzie Bridge, Bend and La Pine. Help is expected to arrive tomorrow Wednesday. Eugene will see the air quality deteriorate today and tomorrow, as the smoke that has usually seeped in by midday can stick around. For more information, visit oregonsmoke.blogspot.com.

Safety: Fire restrictions and closures are one of the most effective tools land management agencies can use to reduce the risk of man-made forest fires during times of high fire danger. or extreme. Currently, charcoal and wood fires are prohibited on most lands in the Oregon Forest Department, Bureau of Land Management, and the Oregon Forest Service. Outdoor burning is also prohibited on private Lane County lands. Learn more about restrictions on campfires on public land at blm.gov/orwafire.

Closures: Some lands in the National Forest are temporarily closed due to the Middle Fork complex. Highway 58 remains open. See fs.usda.gov/alerts/willamette/alerts-notices for the most recent information.

Bull Complex factsheet of September 6, 2021

Cause: Lightning Size: 16,724 acres Containment: 7% Staff: 571

Incident Command: Northern Rockies Type 2 Incident Management Team 4, Rick Connell, Incident Commander

Current Status: The fire remained active in the Battle Creek, Mother Lode, and Welcome Creek watersheds along the west and northwest sides of the fire. Fire activity is primarily due to combustibles and slope, which means that fire movement occurs on the ground through woody material and debris with occasional group fires and climbs or sideways movements of slope. Smoke obscured visibility of the north side of the blaze yesterday, so aviation use was limited. Firefighters patrolled the northeast side of the blaze and the containment line near the confluence of the Collawash River and Elk Lake Creek. The teams also worked on indirect lines along the road networks to the north. The eastern line of fire is holding on following the tactical burning operation carried out in recent days. Firefighters cleared and patrolled the line while monitoring the opposite side of Highway 6350 for any point fires. Two point fires were discovered in the east and firefighters intervened to extinguish them. Fire crews along the south side monitored fire activity on the ridge between Battle Creek and Elk Lake Creek and conducted small tactical burn operations to level the line and follow the edge of the fire near Highway 4696 .

Planned Actions: The wind is expected to turn north and will clear the smoke from the north side of the fire today. Helicopters will continue to be used to slow the spread of fire to key areas in the northwestern part of the blaze and to other areas as needed. Preparatory work will be carried out along the road networks which will be used as indirect lines. Fire activity on the ridge above East Humbug Creek will continue to be monitored while additional hoses and pumps are installed on the road network. Teams will build a line around the one acre point light and mop along the east side of the light as needed. Due to the expected change in wind, fire should be active on the south and southeast sides when the temperature inversion arises. Smoke is expected throughout the day as vegetation and fuels are very dry.

The weather will be warmer and drier with temperatures in the mid-1980s, humidity levels between 20% and 30% lower, and southwest winds of 3 to 8 mph passing west and then south. north / northwest later in the day. A change is still planned for cooler, cloudier weather starting Wednesday.

Evacuations: Marion County Sheriff issued a Level 1 Evacuation Notice Be Prepared Only for Breitenbush Hot Springs. Residents should be aware of the danger in their area, monitor emergency service websites and local media, and develop a plan of action if the evacuation level increases. The notice can be viewed at: https://www.flashalert.net/id/MarionSheriff?alert=1.

Closures: For the safety of wildland firefighters and the public, National Forests have enacted area closures that prevent the public from accessing National Forest System lands near the Bull Complex where uncontrolled fire activity is taking place and extinguishing fires. All forest lands south and west of Forest Road 46 and east of the Riverside Fire perimeter are closed. The entire length of Forest Road 46 is closed. The lands in the Lionshead and Beachie Creek 2020 fire zones are also closed. See closing orders and maps at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7773/.

Contractors approved by the Forest Service through a permit system are allowed through the shutdown order, as are vendors and others working on recovery efforts related to the 2020 area fires. If the fire continues to grow. expand south, some operations could be suspended.

Air Quality: For more information on air quality and associated health issues, visit https://fire.airnow.gov/ or https://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.

Principal and Cooperative Agencies: United States Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

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