News Update Sunday, August 24, 2008
Incident: Bridge Creek Wildfire
Released: 8/24/2008
Bridge Creek Fire Update
Sunday, August 24, 2008 8:00 am
Fire Information (866) 534 9655 Hours: 7:00 am - 9:00 pm
mailto:bridgecreek@gmail.com www.inciweb.org
FIRE ACTIVITY SUMMARY: The control lines on the fire passed additional testing yesterday, increasing the confidence of the fire managers substantially. A smoke column formed on one part of the fire, but it was quickly controlled with helicopter bucket drops and hard work on the ground. Fire behavior should moderate a little today, though areas that have been dormant for the past few days will show more life. Extensive mop up continues today with it entering the "search and destroy" stage. Additional portions of the fire will receive on-the-ground scrutiny by a Palm IR crew (a Palm IR is a portable infrared scanning device to detect hot spots), and more Palm IR crews are on order. Rehabilitation of dozer and hand lines will also continue. With the fire beginning to wind down, some crews will start to demobilize from the fire at the end of shift.
A Burn Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) Team initiated their assessment today. The purpose of the BAER team is to assess the potential for soil erosion or other impacts from the fire severity. Some things a BAER Team may recommend are the installation of erosion or water control devices, plant for erosion control or stability reasons, and plant grasses to prevent spread of noxious weeds. Some things a BAER Team cannot do are replant commercial forests or grass for forage, replace burned pasture fences, or treat pre-existing noxious weeds. Typically a BAER team has two to five weeks to complete its assessment, recommend, and implement treatments.
Acreage is estimated at 4,891 acres with 80% containment. A total of 594 fire personnel are assigned to the fire.
EXPECTED DATE OF CONTAINMENT: August 25, 2008.
WEATHER: The high pressure system will begin to move east today in response to another weather disturbance that will move into the area tonight. Temperatures will be a few degrees cooler and relative humidity up slightly. A cold front will move in Monday, bringing to the burn site a return to cool, wet and breezy conditions. Temperatures are forecasted to be 76-81 degrees with wind speeds between 10-12 miles per hour.
COOPERATING AGENCIES: Oregon Department of Forestry
QUICK FACTS:
Acres: 4,891
Containment: 80%
Location: Bridge Creek Wilderness, 5 miles S/SW of Mitchell
Cause: Lightning
Start Date/Time: August 7, 2008 / 7:16 pm
Expected Containment Date: August 25, 2008
Total personnel: 594
Crews: 14, 4 Type 1 Hot Shots, 11 Type 2, Dozers: 7, Engines: 26, Helicopters: 2-lights 1-heavy, Water tenders: 13
