Dry Gulch – Eagle Complex – Cornet/Windy Ridge

Fire Information Update

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Fire Information: (541) 975-4271

                              (541) 523-1208

 

Firefighters Continue to Patrol Fires

As the unseasonably warm, dry weather continues, firefighters continue to patrol the Dry Gulch, Eagle Complex, and Cornet-Windy Ridge fires each day, extinguishing the occasional small smokes that appear inside the fire lines of the fires. All the fire containment lines are holding on these three fires.  Crews are mopping up smokes they find near the perimeter of the fires, and putting out smokes in the interior of the fires as needed.  A helicopter is available for reconnaissance flights and water drops with a bucket if needed.

 

After a chance of showers with increasing winds tonight and tomorrow, the weather will return to warm and dry conditions through the coming week. 

Dry Gulch Fire  

One engine is patrolling the fire, and extinguishing any smokes they find along the perimeter of the fire.   

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 will continue to be visible smoke in the Sullivan Creek area on the east side of the fire until significant precipitation is received to extinguish it.  An engine is patrolling the Eagle fire each day, putting out smokes along the perimeter of the fire, mostly on the east side of the fire.  Portions of the east perimeter of the fire have fingers of unburned material, without a clean, wide, solid black line.  The fire is creeping and smoldering in the area between Sullivan Creek and Twin Canyon, slowly burning about 2 or 3 acres a day in rugged, difficult terrain.

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 21^st.

Cornet-Windy Ridge Fire 

Engines from the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, and Oregon Department of Forestry continue to patrol the Cornet-Windy Ridge fire each day, to extinguish any smokes they find along the perimeter of the fire and to put out smoke in the interior of the fire as needed.  Occasional small smokes are found in the Denny Creek area and in other various scattered locations. 

A 10-person crew has been seeding the contingency and interior dozer fire lines in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest with grass seed this past week, and should complete this work today.  Next week they will start to place mulch on the contingency and interior dozer fire lines in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest that are no longer needed for fire suppression. 

The area closure on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest for the Cornet-Windy Ridge fire was terminated on September 28th.  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 and Other Information

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. 

Fire season is not over yet, with this continued warm and dry weather.  Please be extra careful with fire and prevent wildfires. 

Fall is a good time to take steps to make your property more fire safe, better able to survive a wild fire, and to create defensible space.  For further information visit websites such as:  www.firewise.org;  www.pnwfac.org;  www.oregon.gov/ODF;  www.nifc.gov;  www.nfpa.org;  and www.keeporegongreen.org.

The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is seeking public comments for proposed fire salvage logging and roadside danger tree removal in the portions of the Cornet-Windy Ridge, Eldorado, Eagle Complex, and Dry Gulch fires located on the Whitman Ranger District.  Written comments must be submitted by October 16, 2015 to:  Whitman District Ranger, 1550 Dewey Ave., Suite A, Baker City, OR 97814.  Comments may be submitted electronically to:  comments-pacificnorthwest-wallowa-whitman-whitmanunit@fs.fed.us.  For further information call 541-523-1350.

 

 

Incident Summary – Quick Facts

Dry Gulch Fire:     It is 17,823 acres, and is 95% contained, with one engine patrolling 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 80% contained, with one engine patrolling 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 16 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.