Fire crews respond to late season fires on the Umatilla National Forest

PENDLETON, Ore. – Firefighters on the Umatilla National Forest have been busy responding to new starts on the North Fork John Day and Heppner Ranger Districts, with a total of four fires reported over the weekend.

Three fires were reported on the North Fork John Day Ranger District and firefighters have contained one of the three fires. The West Texas Fire is the largest of the fires and is located approximately nine miles south of Ukiah near Texas Bar. The four-acre fire was reported at 6:17 p.m. on Nov. 2, 2019, and is creeping and smoldering in open timber. Given the time of year, hazards within the fire area, minimal fire behavior and favorable weather conditions, firefighters will patrol and monitor the fire over the next several days, allowing the fire to reduce fuel loadings and contribute to a more resilient landscape. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

Fire crews continue to patrol and monitor the Skookum Fire on the Heppner Ranger District, which was reported on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019, approximately one mile northwest of the Alder Creek/Skookum Trailhead and two miles northeast of the Tupper Guard Station. The fire is approximately 40 acres in size and continues to smolder in a mixture of grass, brush, timber and snags (dead or burned trees). The suppression strategy for the Skookum fire will aim to reduce overstocked and hazardous fuel conditions in the area, restore forest health and resilience, reduce current and future firefighter exposure and improve foraging habitat for big game.  

The public is asked to use caution when recreating on the Forest and to be aware of increased hazards, particularly snags and smoky conditions. Both the North Fork John Day and Heppner Ranger Districts are actively implementing prescribed burning activities and forest visitors may see smoke in other portions of the districts. Utilizing fire as a tool during these current mild conditions reduces the risk of uncontrolled wildfires during future fire seasons.

Forest officials also ask that visitors do not camp or hang out in burned areas. Dead or dying trees that remain standing after a fire are unstable, especially in high winds. Loose rocks and logs can be present in a burned area and are unpredictable, creating a falling a hazard. Additionally, burned vegetation can also contribute to landslides, mudslides and erosion when rain occurs. The ground in a burned area can also be unstable, due to burned-out roots beneath the surface.  After soils and vegetation have been charred, rainfall that would normally be absorbed could run off extremely quickly.

With many visitors on the Forest right now, Forest officials recommend the following campfire safety precautions:

·       Campfires should be in fire pits surrounded by dirt, rock, or commercial rings and in areas not conducive to rapid fire spread.  All flammable material shall be cleared within a 3-foot radius from the edge of the pit and free of overhanging material. Use existing pits wherever possible. (Note: within the Grande Ronde Scenic Waterway, campfires must be contained in a fireproof container (i.e., "fire pan") with sides of a height sufficient to contain all ash and debris, and all ashes and debris must be removed from the river corridor. Do not use or construct fire pits or rock fire rings within the Scenic Waterway.)

·       Campfires must be attended at all times, and completely extinguished prior to leaving.

·       Persons with campfires should carry a tool that can serve as a shovel and one gallon of water in their possession. The intent of this recommendation is to ensure individuals with a campfire to have the tools necessary to completely extinguish their campfire.

The latest fire information will be posted on the Blue Mountains Fire Information Blog. To receive updates on fires in the Blue Mountains, follow our blog at http://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com/.

For more information about prescribed burning on the Umatilla National Forest, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/y8b433th.

###