[Prineville, Ore.] Thunderstorms
swept through the Central Oregon District Tuesday, igniting fifteen fires on
Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) protection with the largest fire being ¼
acre. Significant rainfall accompanied
these storms helping to reduce fire behavior.
Additional fire detections from these storms are anticipated as
vegetation and fuels dry with warmer, seasonable temperatures and increasing
winds. These holdover fires can creep
around smoldering in wet fuels and vegetation for days or weeks until conditions
are right for them to spread rapidly.
The
Central Oregon District is using a variety of methods across the landscape to
detect fires at a small size.
Reconnaissance flights with observers are being used across the district
with federal partners as well as the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office today
looking for fire and smoke from new wildfire starts. Last night ODF used their multi-mission
platform equipped with infra-red and thermal detection capabilities to fly
portions of the district. They turned in
twenty detections across the flight area and will be back in the air tonight if
conditions cooperate. Typical detection
methods are also being used, such as manned fire lookout towers and
firefighters scouting with maps of the lightning locations. In some areas detection cameras are being
used to find new fires and gather intel for responding firefighters.
“Yesterday’s
lightning storms were impressive and had me concerned,” said Rob Pentzer,
District Forester for the Central Oregon District. “But our firefighters along with our
landowners and partners put in great effort to keep these fires small. And because of that we’re in good shape today
as we continue to respond to new fires.”
Early August is often considered the peak of fire season in Oregon, with
cured wildland fuels, hot temperatures, and lightning. This round of thunderstorms will continue to
push firefighters, but so far this year their hard work has resulted in
successfully reducing impacts from wildland fires to natural resources, public
health, landowners, and communities in the Central Oregon District. Year-to-date there have been 19 lightning
fires on ODF protection in the district, burning 108 acres and 25 human starts,
burning 23 acres. The ten-year average
for lightning fires is 41 fires, burning 2,646 acres and 49 human caused fires
burning 2,082 acres.
Firefighters
across the District have been engaged in long hours of arduous work to keep
these fires small. A strike team of five
engines from ODF districts in northwest Oregon arrived in Prineville today to
provide additional capacity for initial attack resources on new starts. ODF resources will continue to patrol looking
for new starts and working with partner agencies to secure fires on the
landscape.
For
additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact
information and unit offices, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.