Monday, July 21,
2014 10:00 a.m.
- FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
Incident Information
Officer Jeanne Klein
Incident Command Post located at Sisters Middle School
E-mail: bridge99fire@gmail.com
Fire Information: (541)
549-3219
Bridge 99
Complex
|
Start date:
7/13/14
|
Cause:
Lightning
|
Estimated Size:
Bridge 99 Fire: 5,235 acres;
Bear Butte 2 Fire: 613 acres
Total complex acres 5,848
|
% Contained:
25%
|
# of Firefighters:
731
|
|
Injuries to date:
1
|
Estimated Containment Date:
N/A
|
Closures:
Pioneer
Ford, Lower Bridge, Allen Springs, Canyon Creek, Monty, Perry South, and
Candle Creek Campgrounds; Portions of Forest Roads 12, 14, 1140, and 1420400.
Jefferson Lake, Sugarpine Ridge, Shirley Lake, Cabot Lake Trails, and a 5
mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail. An area closure, as shown on Inciweb
Map
|
# of 20-person hand crews:
18
|
# of helicopters:
2 Type I (Heavy),
2 Type II (Medium),
2 Type III (Light)
|
Sisters
OR – The
Bridge 99 Fire is burning 18 miles northwest of the town of Sisters on Green
Ridge, next to the Metolius River. It increased by about 536 acres
yesterday and is now 5,235 acres. The acreage increase was due primarily
to burn out activities on the north and east portions. The perimeter of
the fire held well and has not progressed any further towards Lake Billy
Chinook. It is now 25 percent contained. The Bear Butte 2 Fire is
about 7 miles northwest of the Bridge 99 Fire in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness
of the Deschutes National Forest. The southern portion of the Bear Butte
2 Fire was not very active yesterday and is approximately 613 acres on the
Deschutes National Forest. Fire management activities today will focus on
strengthening containment lines and continuing burn outs on the northwest
perimeter of the Bridge 99 fire.
Temperatures
are expected to remain in the mid 80s and the relative humidity (the amount of
moisture in the air) is predicted to be around 25%. A fire weather watch
has been issued for Central Oregon Tuesday. The predicted fire behavior,
or fire intensity will continue to challenge firefighting efforts. The
complex is burning in very steep and rugged country with heavy timber and brush
at an elevation of 3,000 to 4,000’. There has been one minor injury
consisting of a sprained ankle. Prevention of heat-related injuries and
safely traveling to and from fire assignments has been a priority
The Bridge 99 Complex consists of two fires (the Bridge 99 Fire and the Bear Butte 2 Fire) started by lightning on Sunday, July 13. The north portion of the Bear Butte 2 Fire lies on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs lands and its management has been transferred to the Incident Management Team working on the Logging Unit Complex. The southern portion of the Bear Butte 2 Fire remains in the Bridge 99 Complex.
The
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department evacuation orders remain unchanged and are
as follows:
All
private lands along the Metolius River from Allen Springs Campground to Lake
Billy Chinook (including the Metolius Arm) are in a Level III Evacuation
Order. The Three Rivers Subdivision is in a Level II Evacuation
Order. The subdivisions of Rim Park, Forest Park, and Air Park along with
the Cove Palisades State Park are in a Level I Evacuation Order. The Cove
Palisades State Park remains open.
The
following Forest Service roads, trails, campgrounds and lands are closed (There
are no changes in the closure orders): Forest Road 12, from its
intersection with Forest Roads 1270/1298 to Bridge 99, Forest Road 14,
from Bridge 99 to its intersection with Forest Road 1400700 (Allen Springs
Campground), Forest Road 1140, from its intersection with Forest Roads
1150/1180 to the intersection with Forest Road 1152, Forest Road 1154,
from its intersection with Forest Road 1150 to the intersection with Forest
Road 1140, and Forest Road 1420400. The Lower Bridge, Pioneer
Ford, Allen Springs, Canyon Creek, Monty, Perry South, and Candle Creek
Campgrounds are closed. The Jefferson Lake Trail (#4001), Sugarpine Ridge Trail
(#4002), Shirley Lake Trail (#4003.1), and the Cabot Lake Trail (#4003) are
closed within the Mt Jefferson Wilderness. A 5-mile segment of the
Pacific Crest Trail (#2000) is closed. The south closure is located
north of the Shirley Lake Trail (#4003) junction and the north closure is
located near Cathedral Rocks. An area closure has been designated on a
map that is available on the Inciweb website listed below. The fish
hatchery his closed to the public.
For
detailed information on the fire including Operational Period maps, area
closure maps, and photos please visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3963/.
For
information on smoke impacts to air quality in your community, go to the Oregon
Smoke Blog at: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment