Morning Update Beaver Complex Aug 2
Oregon Department of Forestry Team 2- Chris Cline, Incident Commander
Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office Blue Team – Jim Walker, Interim Incident Commander
Oregon Fire Information Number: 541-826-1599
California Fire Information Number: 530-842-8866
Hours of operation: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
8:00 a.m.
Special Message: Oregon Governor Kitzhaber invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act yesterday, recognizing that a life safety and property threat exists that exceeds the firefighting capability of local structural agencies.
Current Situation: The Beaver Complex consists of two fires: Salt Creek and Oregon Gulch Fires. The largest fire, Oregon Gulch, is south of Highway 66, burning in the proximity of the Soda Mountain Wilderness. Yesterday, erratic, gusty winds on the Oregon Gulch Fire caused extreme fire behavior and rapid fire spread. The fire has consumed a total 3 homes, 5 outbuildings, and multiple vehicles. An infrared flight revealed an accurate location of the fire perimeter with acreage reported at 21,088. There are 270 structures threatened in Oregon and California.
The Salt Creek Fire had little fire activity yesterday and increased from 108 acres to 146 acres. Fire personnel were able to complete line construction around the fire perimeter.
Due to the complexity of the Oregon Gulch Fire, a unified command structure with Oregon Department of Forestry, the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office, and CAL FIRE has been established.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is maintaining a Level 3 evacuation order for homes in close proximity to the Oregon Gulch Fire. The identified area is Copco Road (6000 block to Oregon border). In addition, a Level 1 evacuation order for the area will be in effect as of 9:00 a.m. this morning. Level 1 is an awareness level, alerting residents to be prepared in the event an evacuation is necessary. The Level 1 area affected is the junction of Highway 66 and Hyatt Lake Road to the 22,000 block of Highway 66. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office will be administering the evacuation alert.
Evacuation levels are established as “Be Ready, Be Set, Go!” For more information, visit http://www.oregon.gov/osp/SFM/pages/commed_wui.aspx.
Weather: Little change in the pattern is expected today. It will be hot and dry today with light and variable winds becoming west to northwest. The humidity will fall below 25% around 2:00 p.m. and remain low until 8:00 p.m. It will be sunny and then become partly cloudy in the afternoon. The temperature will reach 97 degrees.
Fire Statistics for Salt Creek
Location: 20 miles northwest of Medford, OR Percent Contained: 30% Complex Size: 146 acres Cause: Lightning
Start Date: 7/30/14
Fire Statistics for Oregon Gulch
Location: 15 miles east of Ashland, OR Percent Contained: 5% Complex Size: 11,632 acres Cause: Lightning
Start Date: 7/30/14
Resources Include: 22 Type 2 hand crews, 6 Camp Crews, 50 engines, 17 dozers, 9 water tenders, and overhead personnel. Total Personnel is 788.
Air Resources: 14 helicopters and air tankers on request.
Places to get information:
Twitter – www.twitter.com/swofire/
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