Fires continue to cause issues even in September for parts of Oregon and Washington. Here are the details about the latest fires for the states as of September 14, 2019. Some of the smoke that people in Oregon are seeing, especially in the Chemult region, may be from prescribed fires purposefully set by officials to help cut down on unexpected fires in the future. Others in Bend, Oregon are seeing smoke from the Ikt Butte Fire that officials are allowing to burn out. Read on for the latest details about the wildfires’ locations, containment, evacuations. Remember to also check your local news sources, as fire details can change quickly and with little warning.
Interactive Fire Maps for Oregon & Washington
A great way to keep track of fire activity is by looking at interactive maps. You can see an interactive map of the Oregon and Washington fires here, provided by Oregon.gov, or view details from NIFC.gov here. The same interactive fire map for the two states is also embedded below:
Here’s another real-time fire map via Public RAPTOR for the Oregon area:
You can see Inciweb reported fires in the interactive map below or here. You may need to zoom into the map below to see the fires using the + button within the map, depending on your browser. You may also need to go to the Legend’s Layers Tab and unclick public alerts, traffic condition, and California wildfires, only clicking Inciweb Wildfire Information to see the Oregon and Washington fires.
Forest Fire Closures
A pilot application for fire closures is being tested by the U.S. Forest Service and the USDA. The map below shows emergency fire closure orders for the following forests: Fremont-Winema, Gifford Pinchot, Okanogan-Wenatchee, Rogue River-Siskiyou, Umpqua, and Wallowa-Whitman.
Red Flag Warnings for Oregon & Washington
You can see weather warnings and Inciweb fire notices in Washington and Oregon in Google’s Crisis map at this link or on the map below. Depending on your browser, you may need to click the + sign to zoom into your region.
Here are details on the individual fires for September 14, 2019. Oregon fires are listed first, followed by Washington fires.
Oregon Fires
204 Cow Fire
Inciweb
The 204 Cow Fire is 17 miles southwest of Unity, Oregon. It was caused by lightning and is 9,668 acres and 73 percent contained as of September 13. A final map from Inciweb was released on September 7.
There’s no anticipated fire spread in the next few days as officials continue with suppression efforts. Inciweb noted:
The 204 Cow Fire, on the Prairie City Ranger District, started August 9 as a result of multiple lightning storms that moved across the forest. The fire is burning in the remote high elevation area within the Glacier (1989) and Sheep Mountain (1990) fire scars. The primary objectives are to prevent fire from impacting high values such as private land, historic guard station, Cow Camp, active grazing allotments, and timber sales. Control features were established where firefighter exposure to hazards is minimized and there is a high probability of success in meeting these objectives and containing the fire.”
You can stay updated on this fire on the Facebook page here.
2019 Malheur NF Prescribed Fire
These are fires purposefully set by officials in order to mitigate wildfire damage in the future.
2019 Umatilla NF Prescribed Fire
These are fires purposefully set by officials in order to mitigate wildfire damage in the future.
Canyon 66 Prescribed Fire
These are fires purposefully set by officials in order to mitigate wildfire damage in the future.
Chemult Prescribed Fire
Smoke in Central Oregon is from a 13,000 acre prescribed burn in Chemult. We will likely continue you experience smoke for a few days.
Much of the smoke people in Central Oregon are seeing today is from a 13,000 acre prescribed fire in Chemult that is burning to mitigate unexpected fires in the future.
CHEMULT, OR-The Chemult Ranger District, Fremont-Winema National Forest plans to implement the Boundary prescribed burn on Friday, September 13, 2019. Please see attached News Release.
This fire is 10 miles southwest of Chemult and will last two to four days. It includes about four miles west of Diamond Lake Junction (US Highway 97 and State Highway 138), extending seven miles south of Highway 138 “to the junction of Forest Service Road 70 and the Forest boundary, and from the western edge of the forest boundary bordering Crater Lake National Park,” says the USDA. Smoke may be visible from Highway 97, 138, and surrounding areas.
The South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership (SCOFMP) is conducting prescribed fire operations with the Fremont-Winema National Forest.
Ignitions may start as early as Thursday September 12, 2019.
More prescribed fires include:
- Long Prescribed Fire in Lake County, 10 miles east of Bly near Lantern Flat. Planned to be up to 1,000 acres.
- West Drews Prescribed Fire in Lake County, six miles west of Drews Reservoir. Planned up to 1,570 acres.
- Crooked Mud Honey in Lake County, 12 miles northeast of Lakeview in the North Warner’s near Vee Lake. Planned to be up to 1,000 acres.
- Coyote Fire in Lake County, 25 miles southwest of Silver Lake, west of Sycan Marsh. Planned to be up to 1,000 acres.
Diamond Valley Fire
#DiamondValleyFire 🔥 unofficial, automated update.
~30mi S of Crane, OR. ⚠️ DO NOT USE FOR SAFETY PURPOSES – See officials instead. May be incorrect; disclaimers in images.
This fire is 751 acres and 75 percent contained. It was caused by lightning and is located 13 miles southeast of Diamond, Oregon. It’s not listed on Inciweb’s map.
Gopher Fire
Inciweb
This fire is 354 acres and 20 percent contained. It was caused by lightning after five small fires burned together. It’s 11 miles east of Prospect, Oregon. On September 14, Inciweb noted:
Operations today will include continued work on primary fire lines where safe to do so, and installing the hose-lay equipment to keep the fire south of the Middle Fork of the Rogue River. The precipitation event expected Sunday night will help suppression efforts. However, an east wind event may arise later next week.
When addressing the firefighters this morning at briefing, Deputy Incident Commander Scott Wickham said, “I just want to say thank you. As we continue for the next few days, hoping for a shot of wet weather, keep looking out for each other and keep up the great safety record.”
Today will be sunny, dry and breezy with a high near 80 degrees. Winds will become west-southwest 4-7 mph with gusts to 12 mph in the afternoon. A strong front is expected to move in late tomorrow bringing wetting rain.
Resources on the fire currently include: 13 20-person hand crews, 4 Type 1 helicopters, 1 Type 3 helicopter, 1 dozer and 2 water tenders. A total of 366 personnel are assigned to the fire.
Closure: A closure is in place for the health and safety of both the public and firefighters working on the Gopher Fire in the Sky Lakes Wilderness (Forest Order No. 06-10-24-19-11). To read the entirety of the closure order and view a map visit the RRSNF website. For another source of emergency closure information see the interactive fire closure mapping applicationbeing tested by the RRSNF.
Updates about this fire are being posted on Facebook.
Granite Gulch Fire
Inciweb
This fire is 5,555 acres in size and was caused by lightning, according to Inciweb on September 8, the latest update. It’s in the Eagle Cap Wilderness in Granite Gulch of Upper Minam River.
According to Inciweb, the fire is expected to have some movement to the west and east and there’s no anticipated containment date at this time.
Inciweb noted:
The lightning-caused Granite Gulch Fire is burning in a remote part of the Eagle Cap Wilderness within the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. It remains far from private lands, structures, or improvements.
Forest Service fire managers are pursuing a confinement strategy that calls for active management to keep the wildfire within specific, pre-identified areas of the upper Minam River drainage and well-within the Eagle Cap Wilderness…
Area residents and visitors should expect to see some smoke, and when the fire is active a column of smoke may be visible above the Wallowa Mountains.”
HK Complex Fire
This fire, caused by lightning, is 2,705 acres in size and 95 percent contained as of September 9, the last update. However, it’s still listed as active on Inciweb’s map.
Ikt Butte Fire in Bend, Oregon
UPDATE: C.O. dispatchers confirm the smoke that’s prompted concern among many Bend-area residents this morning is from burnout underway on the roughly 30-acre Ikt Butte Fire south of town, surrounded by a lava flow. t.co/rnglLNZLUR
Some Bend, Oregon residents are concerned by smoke they’re seeing from an Ikt Butte Fire that’s 30 acres in size, KTVZ reported. It’s from a burnout south of Bend. The fire is more than a week old and was started by lightning. It’s in an area surrounded by lava flow on the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, KTVZ noted. Crews are letting the interior burn out.
Washington Fires
Devore Creek Fire
Inciweb
This fire is 630 acres and 0 percent contained according to NIFC. It’s listed as active on NIFC’s site but is not listed as active on Inciweb’s map. (Inciweb lists the fire as being 463 acres.)
Inciweb noted in a September 12 update: “The fire has seen minimal growth in recent days, but due to the fire’s remote location and the heavy fuels it’s burning in, the fire will be on the landscape for the rest of the season. Days are getting shorter and the chances of active fire growth are diminishing but the fire could come back to life with an extended warming and drying trend. There may still be potential for the fire to become more active and grow as the season progresses, especially on warm, windy and sunny days. Increased smoke may be visible at times. Hot spots within the fire’s perimeter will continue to smolder until extinguished naturally by repeated rain or snow.”
It’s three air miles southwest of Stehekin, Washington.
Shoofly Fire
This fire is burning 12 miles west of Lake Wenatchee about 30 miles northwest of Leavenworth, Washington. Some people may see smoke, but there are no closures or major threats. However, the public is asked to be cautious in the area.
South Fork Creek Fire
This fire is 199 acres and 60 percent contained, located 12 miles northwest of Leavenworth. It’s listed by NIFC.
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