North Fork Complex: September 29, 2009
Incident: North Fork Complex Wildfire
Released: 9/29/2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
North Fork Complex
FIRE UPDATE
Estimated Acreage: 11,050 acres
Resources on the Fire:
20-person fire crews: 1
Engines: 1
Overhead: 2 Total Personnel: 30-35
Location: 15 miles SE of Ukiah, OR in the North Fork John Day Wilderness. Lat: 44o55'29" Long: 118o39'5"
Cause - Date Started: Lightning, Aug. 1, 2009
Fire Spots across North Fork John Day River
Additional Trail Closures Implemented
Current Update: Weather conditions for fire behavior on Monday were extreme, with relative humidities less than 10% and wind gust over 30 mph. With a Red Flag Warning in effect, a reconnaissance flight was conducted to view the fire activity along the river. From the air, fire managers observed a spot fire across the North Fork John Day River between Ryder Creek and Paradise Creek in extremely steep and rugged terrain. By early evening the spot fire was well established and made an uphill run. The spot fire is estimated at 200-300 acres.
Monday evening, forest officials patrolled Forest Road 5225 (Silver Butte) and trailheads accessing that area of the wilderness to notify campers and hunters of the fire danger. Today, wilderness patrol will hike the trail systems west of Forest Road 5225 to document hunting camp locations and visit with hunters about the need to be prepared to leave the area on short notice. The road system in the vicinity of the new closures will be patrolled to ensure that anyone coming into the area is notified of the situation. Trailheads will also be posted with wildfire notifications.
There were no spots across Forest Roads 1010, 5505, and 5506 on the southwest, west and northwest flanks of the fire. Today, fire managers will concentrate efforts on strengthening those sections of the fireline and gain intelligence to develop a course of action on the spot fire across the river.
Fire behavior is expected to moderate today with higher humidities and lower temperatures in the forecast. Cooler weather, with a slight chance of rain, is in the forecast though this coming weekend.
Hunter's Information: Deer season begins October 3 and runs through October 11, 2009. It is likely these fires will remain active on the landscape until late fall, requiring the area closure to remain in effect for some time. Additional road, trail and area closures may need to be implemented as the fire moves through the area. If hunting near the closure area, you should be aware of your surroundings and watching for signs of active fire behavior, hot and dry weather conditions, rapid fire movement or abundant smoke. Please honor all area, road and trail closures. If camping near the area closure, be prepared to move your camp quickly should fire activity increase.
Restrictions and Closures: The Umatilla National Forest has added five new trail closures to the list of area, road and trail closures in the area surrounding the North Fork Complex fires. These closures will be monitored and modified as fire activity changes. Maps are available at http://www.inciweb.org/.
Area Closure:
From the confluence of Otter Creek with the North Fork (NF) of the North Fork John Day River following Otter Creek south to the Junction of Forest Rd (FR) 5505. From that junction follow FR 5505 southeast to the junction of FR 1010. Then follow FR 1010 easterly to the junction of Forest Trail # 3008, then along Forest Trail #3008 easterly down the ridgeline to the confluence of the North Fork John Day River. At that confluence head westerly along the NF John Day River to the junction of Otter Creek.
Trail Closures:
· Trail # 3009 Corral Creek (new)
· Trail # 3186 Miner's Cabin (new)
· Trail # 3025 Silver Butte (new)
· Trail # 3033 Silver Hill (new)
· Trail # 3023 Paradise (new)
· Trail # 3006 Lost Horse Meadow
· Trail # 3007 Kelsay/Cougar Creek Trail
· Trail # 3008 Cold Spring Trail
· Trail # 3014 Glade Creek Trail
· Trail # 3043 (between FR 5507 and FR 5506)
· Trail # 3022 North Fork John Day Trail (from the trailhead east to the junction of Oregon Gulch)
Road Closures:
· FR 1010 from junction of FR 1010070 easterly to the switchback at the junction of FR 1010380, including all spurs that originate from FR 1010 between these two points
· FR 5505 from junction of FR 5505050 to junction of FR 1010
· FR 5506 from the Gold Dredge Campground east to the jct. of the trailhead for Forest Trail # 3022
· FR 5506130 from junction of FR 5506 to junction of FR 5507
Long Term Suppression Strategy: Fire managers are monitoring the fires closely, watching for "trigger points" such as increased fire behavior, fire spread, and hot, dry weather conditions. Trigger points allow fire managers to adjust firefighting actions and resources accordingly. Managing wilderness fires in this manner provides for firefighter safety and reduces fire costs.
Management: Jerod Russell, Type 4 Incident Commander.
Fire Weather: as of Tuesday, September 29, 2009 (National Weather Service)
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. West northwest wind between 10 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. West wind between 5 and 14 mph. Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 55. Light southwest wind. Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Friday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 36.
