Matlock Fire Update - July 31, 2020

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6896
Management: Northeast Oregon Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team, Incident Commander Gabe Hale
Size: 85 acres
Cause: Lightning
Containment: 40%
Resources Assigned: Three Interagency Hotshot Crews, two Type 2IA crews, twelve Type 6 engines, ten water tenders, three dozers, two feller-buncher/skidder teams, one processor, one Type 1 helicopter, one Type 2 helicopter, one Type 3 helicopter.

UKIAH, Oregon – Firefighters continue working to contain the 85-acre Matlock Fire, which is burning in timber on the Umatilla National Forest, 13.5 miles northwest of Ukiah, Oregon. The fire, which is 40% contained, exhibited no growth yesterday as crews improved existing handlines and extinguished small spot fires. Single-tree torching was observed within the perimeter, but fire behavior was generally minimal. Suppression efforts are directed by Incident Commander Gabe Hale and the Northeast Oregon Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team.

Firefighters are continuing to strengthen containment lines around the blaze, while other crews are extensively mopping up inside the lines to ensure that the fire does not rekindle. Aerial reconnaissance from helicopters and drones, using visual and infrared cameras, is aiding firefighters on the ground as they search for remaining pockets of heat. The Matlock Fire has been kept entirely within national forest lands; no private lands have been affected.

Temperatures are expected to moderate over the weekend, which will aid suppression efforts, though fuels remain extremely dry. Fire managers are employing tactics which protect firefighter and public safety, while effectively minimizing fire spread and preventing damage to private lands and natural and cultural resources. Firefighters are also taking a number of precautions to prevent transmission of coronavirus. Information is being provided virtually, crew camping areas are dispersed, and resources are kept apart to the extent possible.

Firefighting resources assigned include three Interagency Hotshot Crews, two Type 2IA handcrews, twelve Type 6 engines, ten water tenders, three dozers, two feller-buncher/skidder teams, and one processor. Aerial support includes one Type 1, one Type 2, and one Type 3 helicopter.

To protect public and firefighter safety, the public is asked to stay away from the area of the Matlock Fire. A closure order map can be viewed on the Matlock Fire InciWeb site at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6896. 

In this series of infrared and visible light photos taken from an Oregon Department of Forestry drone, a Type 6 engine crew can be seen hunting down hotspots putting up diffuse smoke, but which are easily pinpointed in infrared.

Incident Information: Travis Mason-Bushman, 541-519-8051
Web: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6896 

Email: 2020.matlock@firenet.gov