MONUMENT, Ore. – Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 1, Incident Commander Joe Hessel, took command of the Boneyard Fire at 6 p.m. Saturday. At briefing Sunday morning he told firefighters, “Today we are going to hold what we’ve got and gain what we can, we are going to build off the work local resources have completed and look for opportunities to build lines that will hold”.
Overnight the fire continued to grow but did not have significant runs. Crews were able to continue to secure the southern and southeast portion of the fire. In this area the fire is backing down to the fireline. In the western and southwest area of the fire crews worked to contain an approximate 100-acre spot fire and locate places to build strong fireline to stop the spread.
Two structural task forces are in place to provide point protection for residences along Top Road and Wall Creek Road. One residence and two outbuildings have been destroyed by the fire.
Today, the Boneyard Fire faces critical weather, including a red flag warning for hot, dry, unstable weather and extremely dry fuels. There is also the potential for lightning to move through the region.
Additional crews, engines, and firefighting equipment has been ordered and will continue to arrive to work on the Boneyard Fire.
The Boneyard Fire is currently 14,602 acres and was started by lightning on Wednesday, July 17th.
Closure: The Bureau of Land Management has closed public lands along the John Day River from Kimberly to Dale, and from Kimberly to Service Creek. This is to allow firefighters to work without interference.
Evacuations: Level 2 (Be Set) and Level 3 (Go Now) evacuations are in effect. For updated evacuation information, visit the Grant County Emergency Management Office’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068819321423, or sign up for the Grant County Emergency Alert System at https://member.everbridge.net/825462649520134/login.
For current fire restrictions, go to https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/PFR.html. For current fire info, go to www.odfcentraloregon.com.
FIRE AT A GLANCE
Estimated Size: 14,602 acres
Containment: 0%
Cause: Lightning
Estimated Cost: $625,000
Evacuations
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068819321423
https://member.everbridge.net/index/2590041373147145 Road Closures
Top Road and Wall Creek Road.
Fire Restrictions https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/PFR.html
All Resources
Total Personnel: 213
Hand Crews: 7
Engines: 14
Water Tenders: 2
Dozers: 4
Helicopters: 1
Incident Commander:
Joe Hessel Oregon Department of Forestry
Incident Management Team 1