Dry Gulch – Eagle Complex – Cornet/Windy Ridge

                              Fire Information Update

Monday, September 28, 2015

Fire Information: (541) 975-4271

(541) 523-1208

Cornet-Windy Ridge Fire Area Closure Rescinded-

Crews Extinguish Small Smokes on the Three Fires

Putting out occasional small smokes that appear inside the fire lines of the Dry Gulch, Eagle Complex, and Cornet-Windy Ridge fires is keeping firefighters busy during this warm and dry weather, which is forecast to continue through the next couple days. All the fire containment lines are holding on these three fires. Crews are monitoring and patrolling the fires every day, and mopping up smokes that pop up near the perimeter of the fires, and putting out smokes in the interior of the fires as needed. A helicopter reconnaissance flight is planned for all three fires today.

Dry Gulch Fire

One 20-person crew and two engines, working out of Halfway, OR, are continuing to patrol the fire line and mop up any hot spots found along the perimeter of the fire. Yesterday they mopped up an area in Summit Creek, and pulled hose and removed a portable water tank that are no longer needed for fire suppression. The crew walked a portion of the fire line on the north perimeter of the fire, and didn’t find any new smokes in that area yesterday. The crew will put in water bars today on hand fire lines on slopes where they have not been previously installed, to prevent erosion from run-off water.

Fire suppression repair work on contingency dozer fire lines is completed. Berm material was pulled back over dozer fire lines, and brush, limbs and rocks were spread over contingency fire lines that were constructed by dozers. Water bars were installed to divert run off water along dozer fire lines on slopes. Suppression repair work on the dozer fire lines used for control along the perimeter of the Dry Gulch fire will be done later this fall when those fire lines are no longer needed for fire containment.

The Dry Gulch fire burned 17,823 acres which includes: 10,396 acres (58%) of Bureau of Land Management land; 2480 acres (14%) on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest; 4814 acres (27%) of other jurisdictions; and 133 acres (1%) of land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry. No structures were lost in the Dry Gulch fire.

Eagle Complex

There continues to be smoke in the Sullivan Creek area on the east side of the fire, and in the interior of the fire in other areas. A hotshot crew and two engines are continuing to secure the fire line and mop up smokes along the perimeter of the fire, mostly on the east side of the fire. They are putting out smokes that appear along portions of the east perimeter of the fire that have fingers of unburned material, without a clean, wide, solid black line.

The suppression repair work has been completed on all the interior and contingency dozer fire lines on the Eagle Complex. Water bars were installed on dozer lines on slopes to prevent erosion. Berm material was put back in place, and brush, limbs and rocks were spread over these dozer lines. After the fire suppression is finished this fall, the fire suppression repair work will be done on the primary dozer fire lines used for control around the perimeter of the fire.

All road closures on the Eagle Complex were terminated on September 21st.

Cornet-Windy Ridge Fire

The area closure on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest for the Cornet-Windy Ridge fire is terminated today, September 28th.

Some small smokes are appearing in various locations of the Cornet-Windy Ridge fire, including Alder Creek, Denny Creek, and Stices Gulch areas. Firefighting resources from the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, and Oregon Department of Forestry continue to patrol the Cornet-Windy Ridge fire every day, to extinguish any hot spots they find along the perimeter of the fire and to put out smoke in the interior of the fire as needed. Four engines and a small hand crew mopped up smokes yesterday, and are patrolling the fire today.

The Cornet-Windy Ridge fire is located west of Durkee, south of Baker City, and northeast of Hereford, OR. It is west of I-84, and south of Highway 7.

Fire Restrictions

Seasonal fire restrictions are in effect for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Campfires are allowed in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest with specific requirements for a cleared area, fire ring, tools and water to make them safe. For more information please contact any Wallowa-Whitman National Forest office or visit the website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa-whitman/. Information is available at the Blue Mountain Fire Information BlogSpot at http://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com/.

A regulated closure is in effect on state and private lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) in northeast Oregon. Please check with a local Oregon Department of Forestry office for more complete information on public use fire restrictions on lands protected by ODF, or visit the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch webpage at: www.bmidc.org.

The Vale District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rescinded their fire restrictions on September 21, 2015. For further information contact a BLM office or the website at www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale

. Please be careful with fire and prevent wildfires.

Incident Summary – Quick FactsDry Gulch Fire: It is 17,823 acres, and is 90% contained, with approximately 30 personnel working on the fire. It is located 7 miles northwest of Richland, OR, and the cause is under investigation. The fire is on Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, and Oregon Department of Forestry protected lands.

Eagle Complex: It is 12,763 acres, and is 75% contained, with approximately 27 personnel working on the fire. This lightning caused fire is located 20 miles northwest of Richland, OR, and is on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry.
Cornet-Windy Ridge Fire: It is 103,887 acres, and is 100% contained, with approximately 15 personnel working on the fire. The east end of this lightning caused fire is located 4 miles west of Durkee, OR. It is on Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, and lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry.