Daily Update, Aug. 24, Summit Springs Complex
Incident: Summit Springs Wildland Fire
Released: 8/24/2008
Oregon Department of Forestry
Incident Management Team 3
Nancy Hirsch, Incident Commander
Summit Springs Complex
Daily Morning Information Update
For Sunday August 24, 2008
Warming temperatures, a lower relative humidity and moderate winds aided firefighting efforts on the Summit Springs Complex Saturday. These conditions made hot spots visible, allowing firefighters to locate and promptly suppress these problem areas. Crews have continued mop-up activities inside the containment lines, nearing attainment of the 300-foot objective around all three fires. To aid in suppression efforts, a special flight with an infrared camera was completed over the west side of the complex overnight on Saturday.
Difficult terrain and fuel conditions are still concerns on the Green Ridge Fire. In spite of these challenging conditions, firefighters have been able to safely expand the fire line toward the interior of the fire. The Stevens Canyon Fire is now in patrol status, with crews continuing to monitor the fire.
Similar weather conditions will prevail on Sunday before a cold front arrives on Monday. Wind may pick up Sunday evening and on into Monday with the arrival of this weather system. These conditions are not expected to cause problems for firefighters.
Incident Commander Nancy Hirsch would like to remind the public a closure is still in effect in the Metolius Basin area. Several trails and the Lower Bridge Campground remain closed in order to ensure public safety and aid fire suppression efforts.
The Incident Management Team has begun planning for transition of the fire to a smaller team. This transition team will assume command Monday at 1 pm, continuing efforts to bring this fire to a close by patrolling fire lines, completing mop-up and aiding in resource restoration activities.
For More Information: The Fire Information Office phone number is 541-549-1362 and will be staffed 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: 1,963 acres
Location: 10 miles North of Sisters, OR
Containment: 45%
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 870
Estimated Cost: $3,200,000 through Saturday night
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.
