Bootleg, Oregon

Bootleg, Fremont-Winema NF, USFS. Twenty-three miles east of Chiloquin, OR. Timber and brush. Minimal fire behavior with isolated torching, creeping and smoldering. Structures threatened. Area and Trail closures in effect.

August 16, 2021 at 7:29 AM

The Bootleg Fire started on July 6th. The fire is on the Fremont-Winema National Forest, approximately 15 miles northwest of the town of Beatty, Oregon. The Log Fire started on July 12th. On July 20, the Log and Bootleg Fires merged into one. All acreages and statistics reflect the combined fires. Currently, fire activity has been minimal and crews continue to patrol and monitor the Bootleg, Walrus, and Yainax Fires. The Yainax and Walrus Fires started on August 5th within the initial attack jurisdiction area of the Bootleg Fire.

On Aug 14th a Type 3 incident management organization will continue management of the Bootleg Fire. The Oregon Department of Forestry will assume management of the Yainax and Walrus Fires effective Saturday, August 14 at 6:00 a.m.

Major roads are open, although the national forest remains closed. Drivers should expect increased traffic in the area from fire equipment and are asked to use caution driving in the area. For information related to travel routes and closures, check https://tripcheck.com.

Smoke conditions in the region may vary. To check air quality, see https://fire.airnow.gov/#

August 13, 2021 at 8:07 AM Final update

A Type 3 incident management organization will assume command of Bootleg Fire from the Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 2 on Saturday, August 14 at 6:00 a.m. In total, eight Incident Management Teams were assigned to manage the Bootleg Fire since it began on July 6.

On Thursday afternoon, firefighters and helicopters from the Bootleg Fire provided assistance with two new fires in the area. The Patton Meadow is approximately 2,000 acres on the Fremont-Winema-Forest west of Lakeview and the Willow Valley fire is on the Bureau of Land Management’s Lakeview District south of Bonanza at approximately 220 acres. Both the Patton Meadow and Willow Valley fires have numerous air and ground wildland firefighting resources engaging, with more firefighting resources ordered. For more information about the Patton Meadow Fire, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7798/.

As the Type 3 incident management organization continues to manage the Bootleg Fire, five fire engines and additional personnel will remain to patrol the fire area and assist with any new fires in the area. The Oregon Department of Forestry will assume management of the Yainax and Walrus Fires effective Saturday, August 14 at 6:00 a.m.

“It has been an honor to work with the local, regional, and national cooperators on this incident,” said Incident Commander Rob Allen. “We are grateful for the support we’ve received from the local community. Every bit of it helped our firefighters contain this large fire under challenging circumstances.”

To continue getting updates regarding the Bootleg Fire, please visit the Bootleg Fire InciWeb, Facebook, anTwitter pages. For public and media inquiries, please call 541-891-6758 beginning on Saturday, August 14.

Closures: An emergency closure order is in effect for the Bootleg Fire on the Fremont-Winema National Forest to protect public and firefighter safety. All travel or entry into the area is prohibited. The full closure order and map are available on the website under Alerts and Closures at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/fremont-winema/alerts-notices.

Red Cross Disaster Relief: For information or assistance: 1-800-Red-Cross (www.redcrossblog.org/disaster).

Insurance Assistance: For additional information on submitting insurance claims after losing your home or property to a wildfire, please visit https://dfr.oregon.gov/insure/home/storm/Pages/wildfires.aspx or call the state’s team of consumer advocates at 888-877-4894 (toll-free).

August 7, 2021 at 8:51 AM

Gusty winds and thunderstorms resulted in several new starts from lightning strikes north and south of the Bootleg Fire burn area. Initial attack resources have established perimeter to control them. The Walrus Fire and the Yanix Fire are about 75 acres each in size. The Yanix Fire has a spot about a quarter of a mile outside its perimeter and crews are working on initial attack and control of those new fires. The Pacific Northwest Team 2 resumed command of the Bootleg Fire from the Alaska Incident Management Team at 0600 today and assumed command of the Yanix Fire and Walrus Fire.

Today’s weather will not be as extreme as the previous three days. Cooler temperatures and higher humidity overnight helped slow fire progression. Skies have cleared of smoke today, which can encourage updrafts and increase fire behavior, but also provides good weather for air operations. Crews will remain vigilant today watching for new starts and responding with initial attack to suppress them.

The Bootleg perimeter has seen no significant growth in eight days. Fire crews continue to mop up and control the remaining active line, but most of the boundary is in patrol status. In some areas, chippers have started suppression repair work to help the forest heal.

“We want to return the land to as close to the natural state and natural function as possible,” said Resource Advisor Coordinator Bill Hedman. “In time, the regrowth will bring the forest back.” Crews will work with the national forest to salvage any valuable timber and will chip small-diameter limbs and return that biomass to the forest to maintain nutrients. Often vegetation isn’t completely cleared, but rather, thinned, leaving large trees to help the forest regenerate. Suppression repair gives the forest a head start to regrow.

July 30, 2021 at 10:38 AM

Yesterday was another day of elevated fire activity and the same is expected today. Most flare ups were interior pockets of fuel burning out. In the northwest corner, construction was completed to join the line north of Round Butte and work continues to improve it. Crews are using hose lays, mop up, and patrol to contain and improve the line. Ops Section Chief Brad Washa reported that there remains approximately 160 miles of uncontained line in a fire that has over 300 miles of perimeter. 

When fuels, weather, and topography align, there is high potential for aggressive fire spread. Previous spot fires are contained and inactive, but concerns remain for potential out-flow winds associated with thunderstorms and impacts to open fire line. Most spotting has been on the northeast edge toward Winter Rim, but any active section of the fire can throw embers and lightning can create new starts. Fuels remain receptive to burning—ignition likelihood is approximately 80-90%—and any undetected spot fires have the potential for rapid rates of spread. Deputy Incident Commander Tom Kurth reminded crews that it could be a “rowdy fire day with the potential for new starts, line breaks, and new fire behavior.” He encouraged them to stay safe and maintain situational awareness. 

Aerial resources are critical in holding existing fire line and supporting ground crews. Current water drops are focused on the active northwest corner and along the “dirty edge” of the eastern flank of the fire, where they can help cool the area and allow firefighters on the ground to make progress. Air operations slow down the spread of fire and buy time for crews to get on the ground. Brian Deck, Air Ops Branch, said initial air attack “is like preventative medical care; it is easier to prevent fires from spreading than treat large fires.” Sam Martin, who conducts air operations for the USDA Forest Service agreed, “we don’t put fires out without boots on the ground.” 

Yesterday, scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms moved through the region. Scattered thunderstorms are possible through today. A Red Flag Warning is in effect for this afternoon and evening for lightning over dry fuels. Winds are expected to pick up with strong gusts and erratic winds associated with the storms, this weather is expected to continue through the weekend. 

July 27, 2021 at 9:38 AM

This morning the Alaska Incident Management Team assumed leadership of the Bootleg Fire after several days of transition with the other teams. Incident Commander Norm McDonald thanked the Pacific Northwest Team 2, Oregon State Fire Marshal Red Team, and Oregon Department of Forestry Team 1 for leaving us in such a good position. “We will continue operations with a focus on the safety of the community and our firefighters,” said Commander McDonald. “We’re continuing with community and agency partners to suppress the fire as effectively as possible to protect timber, ranchlands, and other local values.” 

As of yesterday, the southern boundary line continued to hold; this area remains in patrol status. Operations focus on eliminating remaining hot spots and burning out fuel pockets to widen the perimeter and secure the fire’s edges. 

Rugged terrain on the northwest side of the fire makes suppression slow going. There is a concentration of snags, downed logs, and slash that provide heavy fuels to the fire. And while progress is being made, this area continues to be a challenge. Favorable weather today will create a good window for direct attack. 

On the northeast side, crews extinguished a small spot fire of less than 3 acres that jumped the perimeter. With the changing weather conditions, spotting potential should decrease today, but crews will remain vigilant and respond quickly to threats as they arise.  

Temperatures are expected to cool today with an increase in humidity and likelihood of isolated showers continuing through tomorrow. The mild weather will have a short-term calming effect on the fire behavior. But due to the extremely dry conditions and fuels, as the week progresses and temperatures rise, aggressive fire behavior is likely to quickly rebound. 

Yesterday, a thorough damage assessment was finalized that tallied the number of buildings damaged and destroyed in Klamath and Lake counties. This fire has a very large footprint and it is important to fire managers that the impact to people’s homes and other structures be accurately examined and counted.
Surveying experts were able to safely access remote areas where the fire has caused significant damage and provide updated reporting to fire managers. In total, 161 residences were destroyed and 247 outbuildings.  In addition, 342 vehicles were destroyed in the fire. These numbers may increase as firefighters and surveyors continue to work through the interior of the fire. For additional information on submitting insurance claims after a wildfire, please visit https://dfr.oregon.gov/insure/home/storm/Pages/wildfires.aspx or call the state’s team of consumer advocates at 888-877-4894 (toll-free). 

Evacuations:   Evacuations are dynamic. An interactive map of evacuation levels in Lake and Klamath Counties is available at  tinyurl.com/bootlegevac 

Red Cross Evacuation Shelters: For information or assistance: 1-800-Red-Cross (www.redcrossblog.org/disaster)   

July 24, 2021 at 10:56 AM

Yesterday, fireline construction progressed north from Long Creek toward Coyote Creek. The day shift was able to hold the fireline from the 400 Road to the south despite some active fire behavior that was pushing to the north and west. Night shift was able to work the area between Long Creek and Coyote Creek and construct direct fireline with dozers, hand crews, and hose lays. 

Crews continue to clear roads as a contingency plan above Sycan Marsh. Firefighters addressed spot fires on the northeastern flank and struggled to hold them. Burn out operations were performed from the 36 road to remove available unburned fuels to contain the spots. The burn out had favorable winds and good progress was made to protect the Summer Lake community. Night crews worked to hold those areas and perform additional burn out operations. Crews and resources have been repositioned to bases near Summer Lake and Paisely. This move will put crews and equipment closer to the active areas of the fire.The area around Summer Lake remains in Level 3 evacuation.  

“This fire is resistant to stopping at dozer lines.” Jim Hansen, FBAN “With the critically dry weather and fuels we are experiencing, firefighters are having to constantly re-evaluate their control lines and look for contingency options.” 

On the southeastern corner of the fire, crews worked through the night to strengthen the existing containment line. Areas of heat near the fire line were mopped up, a couple of spots over the line were extinguished, and slop over the fire line continues to be worked by crews. Today, crews will continue to hold, secure and monitor the fire on its southeastern edge. 

Firefighters are actively patrolling and mopping areas along the western portion of the fire. This step is necessary to ensure that all heat that could threaten the security of the fire line has been extinguished. Resources continue to be shifted to meet the needs across the fire area. Firefighters from this fire may be called to provide initial attack response to new fire starts that have the potential to rapidly grow, given the extremely dry fuel conditions. 

A Red Flag Warning is in effect this afternoon for dry and unstable atmospheric conditions. Temperatures today will be warmer and smoke and haze from nearby fires will linger through the day. The smoke is expected to keep temperatures down a couple degrees today which may help overall fire activity. Unfortunately, this smoke may impede air operations on the fire. 

As a part of the normal two week rotation of Incident Management Teams (IMT), Alaska Type 1 IMTeam will begin arriving on the fire today.  They will shadow the existing teams for several days and assume command of the fire on Tuesday, July 27th. 

Evacuations:   Evacuations are dynamic. An interactive map of evacuation levels in Lake and Klamath Counties is available at  tinyurl.com/bootlegevac 
 

Red Cross Evacuation Shelters: For information or assistance: 1-800-Red-Cross, (www.redcrossblog.org/disaster)   
 

Closures:  The Fremont-Winema National Forest is closed to the public in the fire area. Map and full order available at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7609/.    
 

Smoke:  Northerly winds are expected over the next several days and could cause smoke to linger in Chiloquin, Lakeview, and communities in the Sprague River Valley. See: fires.airfire.org/outlooks/southcentraloregon.

July 22, 2021 at 9:26 AM

Higher humidity and reduced wind speeds yesterday and overnight allowed firefighters to construct and improve firelines. Today’s forecast will be favorable to continue those efforts in securing the existing fireline. A steady warming and drying trend will begin today and continue into the weekend which can affect fire activity in the upcoming days. 

“Fire crews and support personnel have made significant progress in containing this fire in the last few days.”said Joe Prummer, Incident Commander trainee of Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 2. “However, we still have a long road ahead of us to ensure the safety of the surrounding communities.” 

The Oregon State Fire Marshall have transitioned to working with Zone 2 on the north and northeast sections of the fire. The fireline to Long Creek was improved with dozers and helicopter drops. Firefighters scouted the area from Long Creek to Coyote Creek to develop a plan to connect the fireline to the already completed line near The Nature Conservancy compound. Fire activity picked up in the Sycan Marsh but was quickly contained by dozers. Crews and equipment are going direct along the eastern fireline while also working to improve contingency lines between the fire and the communities near Summer Lake as well as provide structure protection for those homes. There was some slight growth to the northeast, however dozer crews were able to stop that progression and crews will work to hold that today. 

In many areas of the fire, firefighters are working on patrolling and mopping areas along the line. This step is necessary to ensure that all heat that could threaten the security of the fire line has been extinguished. Resources continue to be shifted around the fire perimeter to meet resource needs across the fire area. As the need for night operations on the southern zone decreases, those resources will be moved to day shift or sent home for rest as they time out. 

An additional responsibility of the firefighters on the Bootleg Fire is to provide initial attack response in the area adjacent to the fire. Any new starts have the potential to rapidly grow, given the extremely dry fuel conditions. Fire managers have identified resources that would respond immediately in the event that a new fire should start. 
 

Evacuations:  Klamath and Lake Counties have altered the evacuation zones, please make sure to check the new areas on the interactive map. Interactive map of evacuation levels in Lake and Klamath Counties at  tinyurl.com/bootlegevac 
 

Red Cross Evacuation Shelters:  Open 24/7: Thrive Church – 235 South Laguna St. Klamath Falls, Oregon for information or assistance: 1-800-Red-Cross, FB @RedCrossCascades, (www.redcrossblog.org/disaster)   
 

Closures:  The Fremont-Winema National Forest is closed to the public in the fire area. Map and full order available at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7609/.    
 

Smoke: Afternoon smoke impacts will continue to be high in areas north, northeast, and east of the fire, especially in the vicinity of Silver Lake, Summer Lake, and Paisley. Continuing SW winds will push smoke from the Bootleg Fire away from Lakeview, Klamath Falls and Sprague River Valley, but may bring some smoke from the Dixie Fire into the area. See: fires.airfire.org/outlooks/southcentraloregon.    

July 21, 2021 at 8:14 AM

The fire will continue to be extremely active with gusty winds and extremely dry fuels. Significant acreage increase potential on the northern and eastern side of the fire. Rapid fire spread with high intensity fire behavior. Fire will continue to move East/Northeast. Significant amounts of smoke will be present during day and night.

Extreme, crowning, running, spotting. Aggressive rates of spread in critically dry fuels across all size classes. Spot fires immediately exhibiting fire characteristics in the extreme class with close to 100% ignition rate in unshaded receptive fuels. Closed timber stands easily sustaining short to moderate duration crown runs. Pyrocumulus development in several areas of the fire.

Improved weather conditions are expected today, July 21st, as temperatures fall to their coolest values of the next week, and winds continue to weaken. These weaker winds will persist through the remainder of the week, with the prevailing diurnal wind direction gradually shifting from southwesterly to northwesterly over the next few days. High pressure will begin to expand northward into the region Thursday, bringing a steady rise in temperatures lasting through the weekend, as well as considerably drier conditions.

July 21, 2021 at 6:52 AM

The Bootleg Fire continues to burn actively on the Fremont-Winema National Forest, approximately 11 miles northeast of the town of Sprague River. On July 19th, the Log and Bootleg Fires merged into one fire. All acreages and statistics reflect the combined fire.

Smoke from the fire is highly visible from Oregon State Highway 140, Sprague River Highway, Chiloquin and the surrounding area. Drivers should expect increased traffic in the area from fire equipment and are asked to use caution driving in the area. There is an emergency closure in place to public access/entry due to hazards and hazardous conditions created as a result of the Bootleg Fire – details are on the closures page. Level 2 and 3 evacuations are in place.

July 20, 2021 at 9:01 AM

For ten days in a row, extreme fire behavior in the afternoon and evening has resulted in firefighters moving to safety zones. Yesterday evening, parts of the fire received a trace amount of rain from thunderstorms in the area. The main Bootleg Fire merged with the Log Fire as anticipated. Fire activity in this area was moderated by smoke cover decreasing fire intensity, so firefighters took advantage of conditions to improve the northeastern firelines. Toward the east, significant fire movement resulted in the fire spotting over Forest Road 28 (Trunk Road) toward Summer Lake. On the north edge, firefighters made progress constructing dozer line during the night and early morning while temperatures were cooler and winds calmer. By the afternoon, with increasing winds and temperature, the fire moved across Coyote Creek and refocused on protecting the Sycan Marsh Nature Conservancy structures. Night operations were able to construct dozer line to Long Creek and establish an anchor point near Nature Conservancy structures.

Firefighters continue to patrol 40+ miles of fireline on the southern and western flanks of the fire. There continues to be areas of heat in several locations on the west and south of the fire including the Preacher Flats area. As crews patrol, they look for places to mitigate risks to the controlled line of the fire. Property owners are reminded to use caution when returning; hazardous hot spots and fire-weakened trees remain throughout the area. Please use an abundance of caution around these areas. Additionally, unburned fuels within the fire perimeter will continue to burn and produce smoke for weeks.

“Fighting this fire is a marathon, not a sprint,” said Rob Allen, Incident Commander for PNW Incident Management Team 2. “We’re in this for as long as it takes to safely confine this monster”.

Today, winds will be from the southwest with a Red Flag Warning from 2 to 8 p.m. for gusty winds and low relative humidity, resulting in continued movement of the fire toward the east. Today, firefighters will work to mitigate risks for by aggressively felling hazard trees. Crews will continue to work on areas where the fire has slopped or spotted over Forest Roads 28 and 34. If they are not successful in the next 24 hours, they will fall back to structure protection in the Summer Lake community, with possible Hwy 31 closure and a burn out operation to remove fuels between the residential areas and the main fire. In the north toward Silver Lake, firefighters plan to close the gap of fireline between Long Creek and the anchor point at Nature Conservancy structures. Firefighters are preparing secondary fireline and scouting for contingency firelines in all areas of fire growth. Structural protection firefighting crews continue to progress and work to mitigate risks to structures. As crews move around the evolving fire, resources are shifted to more active areas of the fire.

July 19, 2021 at 1:10 PM

Overnight the Bootleg Fire saw a significant increase in activity and acres burned. The predicted high winds and low humidity associated with the Red Flag Warning contributed to the increase in fire activity. Due to mechanical issues, the Infrared (IR) Flight was not completed but fire managers and geographic information system specialist have worked to ground truth firefighter inputs and satellite data to produce an updated perimeter for the fire. The new acreage is estimated at 343,755 and containment remains at 25%.

Red Flag Warnings for high winds and low humidity are in place again for Monday, July 19th and the potential to experience another day of large fire growth is possible.

IR Flights are one of several data tools used to build map products for wildland fire incidents. Aircraft are equipped with thermal sensors and used to detect heat signatures and support developing incident perimeters. Other data sources that support the development of these mapping products include satellite data and ground resources providing data points.

July 19, 2021 at 9:01 AM

Yesterday was the ninth day in a row with such extreme fire behavior that firefighters moved to safety zones and looked for opportunities to re-engage. Please note: the fire map issued today does not reflect the actual fire perimeter as the infrared data collection flight was not performed due to aircraft mechanical issues.

There was active fire all night on the southeastern corner. A fire slop over across the 28 Road is estimated to be over 2,500 acres in the Elder Creek area. Firefighters worked through the night to limit growth. On the north edge, firefighters disengaged when the fire aggressively moved past retardant lines three to four miles north toward Long Creek. The Nature Conservancy station at Sycan Marsh was evacuated and firefighters provided structure protection. Fire activity on the Log Fire was moderated by heavy smoke cover (shading from smoke cover results in lower fire intensity) and firefighters were successful in limiting southeast growth toward Summer Lake with dozer lines.

“We are running firefighting operations through the day and all through the night,” said Joe Hessel, Incident Commander. “This fire is a real challenge, and we are looking at sustained battle for the foreseeable future.”

Weather today will add the possibility of thunderstorms to the dry, hot, and windy conditions, with fire growth expected to the north, east, and southeast. Today, crews will work to contain the slop over the 28 Road and scout for contingency lines. Crews are also managing smaller areas of fire outside of the containment lines. The southeast flank of the fire from Preacher Flats to Mitchell Monument remains in patrol status. More firefighters have shifted to the north to support fire efforts near Silver Lake. Firefighters on the Log Fire continue line improvements to attempt to protect ranches and the Summer Lake community. Firefighters are preparing secondary firelines in all areas of fire growth. The southwestern flank of the fire continues to hold. It is imperative property owners use caution when returning; there are lingering hot spots and fire-weakened trees.  The public may see smoke as fuels continue to burn within the fire perimeter. Please use an abundance of caution around these areas.   

Community Meeting: July 19, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. at the Gearhart Elementary School (61100 Metler St, Bly, OR 97622).

Evacuations: Evacuations are rapidly changing due to the nature of this wildfire. Please visit tinyurl.com/bootlegevac for an interactive map of evacuation level in Lake and Klamath Counties. Two Red Cross Evacuation Shelters are Open 24/7: Klamath County Fairgrounds at 3531 S 6th St. Klamath Falls, Oregon and Daly Middle School 906 S 3rd St. Lakeview, Oregon for information or assistance: 1-800-Red-Cross and FB @RedCrossCascades 

Closures: The Fremont-Winema National Forest is closed to the public in the fire area. Map and full order available at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7609/.   

Smoke: Smoke impacts will be high in areas north, northeast, and east of the fire, especially in the vicinity of Silver Lake, Summer Lake, and Paisley. See: fires.airfire.org/outlooks/southcentraloregon.   

July 18, 2021 at 9:19 PM

Extreme, crowning, running, spotting. Fire remains very active with significant acreage increases due to hot, dry, and breezy conditions, and plume-dominated fire behavior.

Poor humidity recovery at night is contributing to active fire spread through the night time period. Robust spread rates are being generated by drought-affected fuels. Expecting similar conditions for the next several days.

Additional evacuation levels have been implemented in Lake County due to increased activity on the Bootleg and Log Fires. Lake County utilized its emergency alert system to notify residents in the affected areas by text, email, and phone.

Level 2 – Be Set From the FS 29 Road and Highway 31 junction to the top of Government Harvey Pass, east to Slide Lake Trailhead, and back north to Highway 31. This includes the Monument Rock area.

Level 1 – Be Ready Including Picture Rock Pass, the Ana Subdivision, the communities of Summer Lake and Paisley, and south of Paisley along Clover Flat Road to Moss Pass. Fire officials consider the risk to Paisley to be low but want the community to be aware of increased fire hazards in the surrounding area.

These evacuation levels are in addition to the Level 2 evacuations issued early this morning and the Level 1 evacuations implemented on July 15. The most effective method for viewing current evacuation levels is by using the link to the interactive map below. Evacuation maps are also posted in and shared with community gathering places throughout the fire evacuation areas by incident management team staff.

An interactive map showing evacuation areas and the fire perimeter from the overnight IR flight is available at https://kcgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=4bfb02b41eb7473ca95b04c3cbd1da21

Remember that:
 Level 1 evacuation means “BE READY” for potential evacuation. Residents should be aware of the danger that exists in their area, monitor emergency services websites and local media outlets for information. This is the time for preparation and precautionary movement of persons with special needs, mobile property and (under certain circumstances) pets and livestock. If conditions worsen, emergency services personnel may contact you via an emergency notification system.

 Level 2 evacuation means “BE SET” to evacuate. You should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice as this level indicates there is a significant danger to your area, and residents should either voluntarily relocate to a shelter or with family/friends outside of the affected area. Residents may have time to gather necessary items, but doing so is at their own risk.

 Level 3 evacuation means “GO NOW” – leave immediately! Danger to your area is current or imminent, and you should evacuate immediately. If you choose to ignore this advisement, you must understand that emergency services may not be available to assist you further. DO NOT delay leaving to gather any belongings or make efforts to protect your home.

Again, evacuation shelters are located at the following locations: the Daly Middle School Auditorium (220 South H St.) in Lakeview, the Klamath County Fairgrounds in Klamath Falls, and La Pine Middle School.

 Red Flag weather conditions played a significant role in fire behavior yesterday.  The fire pushed over Sam’s Cabin Road and the 27 Road to the north. The fire continues to be held from Preacher Flats to Mitchell Monument, and is pushing further east, approaching the 28 road.  Fire crews were able to insert dozer line and burnout to minimize the fire growth overnight. One of today’s priorities will be to attempt hold these areas to prevent further spread of the fire.   

Other priorities include constructing direct fireline and building contingency lines north of the fire in the Sycan Marsh and along the 28 Road to the south.  These contingency lines may be used as the fire continues to march towards the communities of Paisley, Summer Lake, and Silver Lake.  

Structure protection groups today will be focused on homes along the 34 and 28 roads.  Crews plan to work around Deadhorse Lake to begin preparation of advance of the fire. As work is completed, structural firefighters will continue their work further north on the southeastern corner of the fire. Additional evacuation levels have been implemented in Lake County. 

The southwestern flank of the fire continues to hold and firefighters remain in patrol status to scout for areas of remaining heat. As evacuations relax along the south and southwest flanks and residents begin to return to their homes, it is imperative landowners use caution when returning.  Firefighters have cleared many of the hazards, however there may be some lingering hot spots and fire weakened trees.  Residents may also see smoke as fuels continue to burn within the fire perimeter. Please use an abundance of caution around these areas.