Daily Update, Aug. 20, Summit Springs Complex
Incident: Summit Springs Wildland Fire
Released: 8/20/2008
Oregon Department of Forestry
Incident Management Team 3
Nancy Hirsch, Incident Commander
Summit Springs Complex
Daily Morning Information Update
For Wednesday August 20, 2008
Firefighters made progress on the Summit Springs Complex on Tuesday, despite an afternoon increase in winds that caused problems on the largest of the fires, the Summit Springs Fire. Air tankers and helicopters provided critically important support, dropping retardant and water throughout the afternoon. Firefighters on the ground worked to strengthen fire lines on three sides and re-establish the east-side line as winds subsided.
Limited growth was observed yesterday on the Stevens Canyon Fire, despite the wind conditions. Firefighters were able to complete fire lines on 100% of the fire perimeter. Crews will be working today to strengthen and improve those lines.
The Green Ridge Fire, the northern most fire in the complex, is burning in very steep terrain and received multiple water drops throughout the day. On Wednesday, hand crews will continue building line around the fire, supported by water drops.
In addition to constructing line, fire crews on the ground were kept occupied controlling four new lightning holdover starts that surfaced during the period of increased winds. These ranged in size from one to eleven acres and were located in the vicinity of existing fires.
Continuing moderate temperatures and a high relative humidity are forecast for Wednesday. Winds are expected to increase slightly over conditions experienced yesterday, with moderate gusts. Throughout the complex, team members are continuing to watch for potential hot spots and flare-ups.
The Incident Management Team requests the public's cooperation by observing the closure order in the Metoloius Basin area. Several trails and the Lower Bridge Campground remain closed in order to ensure public safety and aid suppression efforts.
For More Information: The Fire Information Office phone number is 541-549-3189 and is staffed from 7 am to 7 pm. Additional information is available on-line at the following sites:
Summit Springs Complex Fire Information Website: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1478/ or http://www.oregon.gov/odf/summitspringscomplex.shtml
Pacific Northwest Regional Fire Information is available at http://www.nwccweb.us/index.asp
National Fire Information is available at http://www.nifc.gov/fire info/nfn.htm
Fire-At-A-Glance:
Size: 1,740 acres
Location: 10 miles North of Sisters, OR
Containment: 25%
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 371
Estimated Cost: in progress
Evacuations: None at present
Closures/Restrictions: A closure order for a portion of the Deschutes National Forest has been issued. Details are at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/
Announcements: None
Participating Agencies: Oregon Department of Forestry, U.S. Forest Service (Deschutes National Forest and Ochoco National Forest - Crooked River National Grassland), Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, and the Sheriffs' Departments from Deschutes and Jefferson Counties.
