Road Closures implemented on the Phillips Creek Fire

News Contact: 

Joani Bosworth, 541-278-3722                                                 

August 2, 2015

Pendleton, OR: The Phillips Creek Fire has burned approximately 30 acres, seven miles northwest of Elgin, Oregon near Indian Point.  The fire is burning in timber and grass on the Umatilla National Forest, Walla Walla Ranger District.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Road closures have been implemented for public and firefighter safety and include:

• ·         Forest Road 3738 (Phillips Creek Road) from its junction with Forest Road 3100 (Summit Road) to State Highway 204.
• ·         Forest Road 3148 from its junction with Forest Road 3100 (Summit Road) to its end.
• ·        Forest Roads 3148-010 and 3148-900 from their junction with Forest Road 3148 to their end.
• ·         Forest Road 3740 from its junction with Forest Road 3738 to the forest boundary.
• ·         Forest Roads 3740-020, 3740-025, 3740-030, 3740-040, and 3740-050.

Hot, windy conditions contributed to active fire behavior Saturday afternoon with spotting at distances of 200-300 yards ahead the main fire. Fire activity subsided overnight but has picked up again at sunrise.  The short term weather forecast calls for continued hot and breezy weather with a slight chance of thunderstorms.

A local Type 3 Incident Management Team, led by Incident Commander Andrew Stinchfield, will take over management of the fire today. Interagency resources on scene include Air Attack, two Type 1 helicopters, four Type 2 Initial Attack crews, a strike team of engines and multiple overhead resources.   Additional resources are on order.

The fire danger rating has increased to EXTREME and Public Use Restrictions involving campfires and chainsaw use are in effect. For more information about the Umatilla National Forest’s Public Use Restrictions, please contact any forest office, call our Forest Information hotline at 1-877-958-9663, or visit our website at www.fs.usda.gov/umatilla/ or on the Blue Mountain Fire Information BlogSpot at http://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com/.

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.

-USDA FS-