Dry Gulch Fire Information

Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015

Fire Information: (541) 975-4271

                              (541) 523-1208

 

Dry Gulch Fire Transitions to Smaller Local Team

 

Management of the Dry Gulch fire transitioned from Oregon Department of Forestry’s Type 1 Incident Management Team 3, to a smaller, local Northeast Oregon Type 3 Incident Management Team at 7:00 pm on September 18^th.  Resources assigned to the fire today include 5 crews, 9 engines, 1 dozer, 1 water tender, and 2 excavators. The incident command post is located in Halfway, OR.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.   No structures have been lost in the Dry Gulch fire.  The fire is 17,823 acres, and is 85% contained, with 145 personnel assigned.

 

Fire Operations:  Crews are securing the fire line and mopping up hot spots along the northern perimeter of the fire.  They are starting at the edge of the fire and working in.  The north end of the fire in the timber is the active portion of the fire.  Firefighters set up hose with portable tanks to get water to a portion of the north perimeter of the fire yesterday.  Engines are providing water to other areas of the north edge of the fire.  There will be some smoke visible in the interior of the fire in the coming days, as the weather gets warmer and drier.

 

Excavators are beginning to repair the effects of fire suppression on dozer fire lines, by pulling back berm material, and spreading brush, limbs and rocks over fire lines that were constructed by dozers.  Water bars are being installed to divert run off water along dozer fire lines on steep slopes.

 

Weather:  The forecast calls for warmer and drier conditions for the next several days.

 

Please use caution if traveling in the vicinity of the Dry Gulch fire, and watch for fire equipment and firefighters along the roads.

 

All evacuation notices for the Dry Gulch fire have been lifted.

 

Public use restrictions for safe campfires are in effect for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.  For more detailed information please contact any Wallowa-Whitman National Forest office or visit the website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa-whitman/.    Information is also 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.

 

Fire prevention orders are also in effect for public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  For further information contact a BLM office or the website at  www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale.