Baker County, Oregon
Joint Information Center

Cornet/Windy Ridge, Eagle Complex, and Eldorado Fires

Evening Update

August 16, 2015 10 PM

Contact Information

Fire and Evacuation Information: (541) 523-2905

Email: BakerCoJointInfo@gmail.com

http://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com

Facebook:        https://www.facebook.com/CornetFire

https://www.facebook.com/ElDoradoFire2015

https://www.facebook.com/EagleComplex2015

Inciweb:           http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4478/ (Cornet)

http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4497/ (Windy Ridge)

http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4502/ (El Dorado)

http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4481/ (Eagle Complex)

Incident Commanders:

Southwest Incident Management Team-Mark Ruggiero (Cornet/Windy Ridge)

Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office-Ted Kunze (Cornet/Windy Ridge)

Oregon Department of Forestry Team III-Link Smith (Eldorado)

Albuquerque Zone Type 3 Team-Ryan Romero (Eagle Complex)

**Eagle Complex Public Meeting will be held on Monday, Aug 17^th, at 3:00pm at the Baker City Nazarene Church Gymnasium**

Weather: Dry cold front will pass through on Monday and increase winds are expected during afternoon and evening burn periods. Moderate weather conditions through Monday, including high temps 78-83 degrees and winds 5-8mph and gusts to 15mph.

Media Advisory: Media are requested to call the Joint Information Center number listed above.

Road Closures: Highway 245 still closed 11 miles north of Hereford. Drivers are urged to check highway conditions on tripcheck.com.

Shelters: The American Red Cross has relocated its shelter to the Baker City Nazarene Church at 1250 Hughes Lane with 100 beds currently available. The Red Cross is encouraging all evacuees to register. There are two nurses available for evacuees that need medical attention. The shelter is open 24-hours and has food, bedding and toiletries for evacuees. For more shelter information, call 541-519-2360.

Recreation Areas: Regulated closures are in effect on State and private lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) in northeast and central Oregon. Please check with your local Oregon Department of Forestry office for public use restrictions on lands protected by ODF. Visit the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch webpage at: www.bmidc.org or contact a local Oregon Department of Forestry office for more complete information. Similar restrictions may be in effect on State and private lands protected by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (WA-DNR). More information can be found on the WA-DNR website at: http://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/firedanger/BurnRisk.aspx.

Eagle Complex

Current Situation:  On Sunday afternoon, increased activity on the southeast edge of the Eagle Complex prompted a Level 3 evacuation notice for East Eagle Creek Road and FS 77 between Bradley Creek and Blue Canyon. Two heavy helicopters worked in tandem to reduce the threat of fire flanking around and progressing north up the East Fork Eagle Creek drainage.  Smoke impaired visibility and prevented single engine air tankers from dropping retardant. Crews are staged to monitor the area this evening. On the west side of the Eagle Complex, crews held lines and continued structure assessments.On Monday, crews will continue to improve structure protection and assess fire activity on the southeast edge of the Eagle Complex. Firefighter and public safety remain the highest priorities.

Area Fire Closures: There is an area closure in effect for the Eagle Complex near Main Eagle, East Eagle, Tamarack Campground and Two Color Campground. Please see the link to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Website http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/wallowa-whitman/home.

Public Safety: No Level 1 or 3. Level 2 (Set): FS 77 Rd. Bennett Peak Area, main Eagle Area, Tamarack Campground.

Additional Info: Eagle Complex Public Meeting will be held on Monday, Aug 17th, at 3:00pm at the Baker City Nazarene Church Gymnasium

Eldorado

Current Situation: 20-person hand crews have started trickling in to support the bulldozers and engines that have been working on the Eldorado Fire the past three days. The fire is now 20,070 acres and 10 percent contained. Today bulldozers continued developing containment lines in moderate terrain. Hand crews will scrape fire trails in many areas that bulldozers can’t go. 

“The weather and the number of large fires burning in the Pacific Northwest have made this fire difficult,” said Incident Commander Link Smith. “However, we’ve put a plan together that we feel will help us meet our objectives, which is to minimize acres burned while keeping safety for the public and firefighters a top priority.”
 This afternoon the wind stoked the fire front on the fire’s west and south sides. Weather reports from the Boise Weather Center predict a dry cold front coming through the area early Monday with 10-15 mile per hour winds. Fire incident meteorologists are calling for more difficult weather toward the end of the week.
 Tonight, engine crews will work through the night to extinguish hot spots along the fire’s edge and strengthen containment lines.

Area Fire Closures: No area fire closures are in place.

Public Safety: The following evacuation level notifications remain in effect. Level 1 (Ready): Shirts Creek; Job Creek and south of Job Creek Road; East of Bull Run Road; and south of Campbell Lane. Level 2 (Set): Dry Gulch area and Ripley Gulch area. Level 3 (Go): Beam Creek area; Eldorado Ditch area; Long Creek area (Baker County); Long Creek Reservoir; and Camp Creek south of Highway 26.

Additional Info: More information about evacuations available at: http://tinyurl.com/Evacuation-Level-Meaning

Cornet/Windy Ridge Complex

Current Situation:  Due to today’s favorable weather conditions, aerial resources were used to assist with the firefighting efforts.  Crews continue to build containment lines around the perimeter of the fire.  Crews are also patrolling and mopping around structures and the edge of the fire line.  Tomorrow’s weather conditions are mostly sunny with west to northwest winds up to 7 mph and afternoon gusts of 15 mph.   These weather conditions will allow for another favorable day for firefighting efforts.   

Area Fire Closures: A forest closure order is in place for the area around the Cornet/Windy Ridge Fire. Please see the link to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Website http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/wallowa-whitman/home. OR-245 remains closed. As of this morning, Highways- 7 and Interstate-84 are open.

Public Safety: the public should be cautious when driving; crews and equipment are working near and along the roads, and smoke may hinder visibility. Level 1 (Ready): Old Auburn Ln, Durkee. Level 2 (Get Set): Bridgeport, Sutton Creek, French Gulch, Greater Bowen Valley Rural Fire to French Gulch. Level 3 (Go): Beaver Creek, Black Mountain, Denny Creek, Alder Creek, Burnt River Canyon, Dry Creek, Dry Creek Cutoff, Ebell Creek, and Hill Creek Rd.

Additional Info: None at this time.

Fire Statistics
	Total Acres:	Percent Contained:	Cause:	Start Date:
Eagle Complex	2,007	0%	Lightning	August 10, 2015
Eldorado	20,070	10%	Undetermined	August 14, 2015
Cornet/Windy Ridge	96,762	30%	Lightning	August 10, 2015
	Structures Lost:	Short Location:
Eagle Complex	0	20 Miles northwest of Richland, Oregon
Eldorado	0	5 Miles southeast of Unity, Oregon
Cornet/Windy Ridge	8	10 Miles East of Unity Oregon
	# Personnel:	Types of Resources:
Eagle Complex	140	INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME
Eldorado	201	CREWS: 4, ENGINES: 12, DOZERS: 7, HELICOPTERS: 1, AIR TANKERS: 0
Cornet/Windy Ridge	628	CREWS: 19, ENGINES: 34, DOZERS: `12, HELICOPTERS: 4, AIR TANKERS: 0