BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Cedar Creek Fire that shut down the Waldo Creek Wilderness Area surged and nearly doubled in size on Sunday, topping 3,200 acres as the National Weather Service issued a new warning of red flag (fire weather) and heat advisory for the first two days of the new week over much of the region.
Here are Monday’s updates on this and the Windigo, Potter and Beech Creek fires:
Cedar Creek Fire
August 8, 2022
Daily Update – 8:00 am
Acres: 3,234 | Content: 0% | Total staff: 236 |Start date: August 1, 2022| Cause: Lightning |
Location: 15 miles E of Oakridge, OR | Fuels: mix of heavy evergreens, ponderosa pine, brush and grass
*There will be a virtual public meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. on Facebook*
https://www.facebook.com/CedarCreekFire2022/
Strong points: Yesterday, fire was active on the northwest perimeter near Spirit Lake and on the southwest flank. A scooper and four helicopters worked to moderate the behavior of the fire, using Hills Creek Lake as a water source. Firefighters had planned to build a fire line closer to the edge of the fire on the northern flank, but with increased fire activity in the area, they returned to Forest Road (FR) 2417 and continued to prepare the route as a future control function. The fire also continued to retreat towards Black Creek Road, which crews still plan to use as a containment line for the south flank of the fire.
Operations: Heavy equipment will start arriving today and more should join the teams preparing FR 2417 and Black Creek Road (FR 2421) in the coming days. Masticators will be deployed to shred small diameter woody material along roads to make it a safer control device for firefighters. Crews will continue to search for containment opportunities north and west of the fire perimeter. Aircraft will be available to support ground containment efforts and moderate fire behavior.
Evacuations: Currently, there are no evacuations in place.
Time: Conditions are expected to moderate today, with slightly cooler temperatures around 80 degrees and higher relative humidity between 20-30%. Winds are forecast from the northwest at 3 to 6 mph with gusts to 13 mph in the afternoon. There will be a risk of showers and thunderstorms from today until Tuesday.
Closures: The entire Waldo Lake Wilderness area is closed due to the Cedar Creek Fire. This includes all trailheads and scattered camping west and north of Lake Waldo. The lake itself remains open as well as the campgrounds on the east side. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place within ten miles of the fire.
Restrictions: Fire restrictions are in place in the Willamette National Forest, except for the Three Sisters, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, Waldo Lake, and Diamond Peak Wilderness areas. All campfires, charcoal or briquette fires, pellet fires or any other fire will be prohibited, except in designated campgrounds. Stoves, lanterns and portable heaters using liquefied or bottled fuel are still permitted if they can be turned on and off. Motorized vehicles may only be driven on designated trails and roads, including the Huckleberry Flats and Santiam Pass OHV areas.
Smoke: Smoke forecasts (in English and Spanish) are available at https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook. Air quality in Oakridge, Oregon should be good with the best time of day to recreate outdoors being late afternoon. Fire Information: Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. | Call: 541-201-2335 | E-mail: 2022.cedarcreek@firenet.gov | On line: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8307/ | https://www.facebook.com/CedarCreekFire2022/ | https://www.facebook.com/willamettenf | https://twitter.com/willametteNF | Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/99hdyvjn
Windigo-Potter-Big Swamp-Shelter Fire Update – August 08, 2022
Yesterday the lines withstood the higher temperatures and changing winds. Progress has been made on all fires and the Windigo Fire is now 25% contained. A red flag warning for lightning and gusts of wind will be in effect from today and will continue until tomorrow evening, again testing the lines of fire. A red flag warning is defined by a combination of critical fire conditions such as warmer temperatures, very low humidity and higher winds, which produce an increased risk of fire danger. Light rain is expected overnight through Tuesday morning.
Windigo Fire crews were able to lay pipes all over the western half and are over 60% on the eastern side. Today, cleaning will continue on the entire perimeter. Potter Fire will continue to develop and strengthen main, alternate and emergency lines. If favorable weather conditions are present later in the week, crews will be able to use more direct strategies.
The Big Swamp Fire is now measured at 102 acres after an overnight infrared flight. Yesterday crews fought spot fires while bulldozers improved lines. Today, firefighters will continue to reinforce lines and add hoses. There may be opportunities to go straight to the east end using Forest Road 2153.
The Shelter Fire, Fire 210, and Fire 212 are all contained. Crews will continue to patrol these incidents.
Fire assets include a total of 674 personnel consisting of 16 crew, 33 engines, heavy equipment, eight Type 1 helicopters and one Type 3 helicopter. Two fixed-wing scoopers are available from Eugene.
High temperatures will reach 84-89 degrees. The wind direction will change at noon and will come from the west with speeds between 5 and 8 mph and gusts up to 15 mph on ridges and valleys. Fire detection distances can be up to ¼ – ½ mile with 80-85% chance of ignition on dry fuels. Visit AirNow.gov for smoke information.
Windigo Fire
Area: approx. 1,053 acres
Containment: 25%
Location: 20 miles southwest of La Pine, OR
Cause: Lightning
potter’s fire
Area: approx. 234 acres
Containment: 0%
Location: 8 miles northeast of Lake Toketee
Cause: Lightning
Closures: For firefighters and public safety, follow Windigo and Potter closure orders.
• Pacific Crest Trail – visit https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/closures/oregon/ for more information.
• Forest Service Road (FSR) 60 from junction with FSR 6020 on Deschutes National Forest to FSR 2612 on Umpqua National Forest
• Forest Service Road (FSR) 2610 from Lemolo Dam to Calapooya Mountain
Fire Information Phone: 206-473-8645 (8 a.m. – 7 p.m.) | Email: 2022.Windigo@firenet.gov
Potter Fire (& Shelter) InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8291/
Windigo Fire (& Big Swamp) InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8292/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Windigo-Fire-and-Potter-Fire-Information-109233838550715
Beech Creek Fire Update – August 8, 2022
JOHN DAY, PRAIRIE CITY and HINES, OR – (Monday August 8, 2022) The percentage of containment continues to climb on the Beech Creek Fire, up to 69% and remaining within the same footprint at 155 acres. A heat advisory is in effect today with increased potential for afternoon thunderstorms and strong outflow winds through Tuesday evening. Some of the resources assigned to the Beech Creek fire will be made available locally to augment the initial attack response in the event of new fire outbreaks.
The fire continues to consume unburned fuel in established containment lines south of Highway 395. Pockets of heat trapped in burning root systems and tree stumps may present a challenge to suppression efforts and slow the progress of containment. Firefighters use water tenders, engines and extensive hose laying to target these areas within the fire.
With containment lines becoming more secure and fire behavior decreasing, the High Desert Type 3 team will plan to transfer the fire to the local unit by the end of the shift on Tuesday August 9th.e. The team will ensure that the new Incident Commander has all the necessary resources to effectively continue suppression operations.
Those traveling along Route 395 between Long Creek and Mt. Vernon can expect delays as firefighters continue to work along the causeway. Flaggers and a pilot car direct traffic through the fire area. Smoke may be visible from the road. For up-to-date information on road delays or closures before traveling to the region, please visit: https://www.tripcheck.com.
The public is encouraged to be aware of the high fire danger in the Malheur National Forest. Current fire conditions and public use restrictions can be viewed on the forest’s webpage: https://www.fs.usda.gov/malheur.
For more information on the fires, please visit: Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8301 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MalheurNationalForest Twitter: https://twitter.com/MalheurNF Email: 2022.beechcreek@firenet.gov