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 Helicopter dropping water on a fallen snag near the fire's perimeter on Saturday.Cottonwood Creek Fire Update[John Day, Ore.]  Overnight the Cottonwood Creek Fire remained within the established firelines.  Light precipitation fell across the fire but was not enough to impact fire fighting activity today.  On Saturday the fire was mapped at 159 acres with 10% containment.  The increased size is due to improved mapping by firefighters, not from fire growth.  The fire was reported mid-day Friday approximately five miles south of Fossil,...

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Cottonwood Creek-Initial Attack July 30, 2021 ODF:  Fire Update July 31, 2021[John Day, Ore.]  Firefighters from the Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) John Day Unit responded to several lightning fires Friday and Friday night.  These fires are holdover fires from thunderstorms which passed through on Thursday.  The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for much of central and eastern Oregon beginning this afternoon for abundant lightning in combination with critically dry fuels.  These thunderstorms may come with...

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 ODF:  Increased Restrictions for Industrial Operations in The Dalles Unit[Prineville, Ore.]  Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday July 16th Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) for MH-4 will increase to Level 3.  MH-4 includes private, state, and municipal ownership protected by Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) west of Hwy 35 within the Central Oregon District (COD) boundary.  The intent of the increased restriction is to reduce possible fire ignition from industrial forest operations.  MH-1, ODF protected lands east of Hwy 35 within...

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 Wildfire Update July 11, 2021Redmond, Ore. – Firefighters from the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center responded to four wildfires today.  Two of these fires, incidents #556 and #561 were contained at less than a tenth of an acre.    Incident #558, the Grandview Fire, was reported at approximately 1:30 p.m. burning on Oregon Department of Forestry protected lands and the Crooked River National Grassland.  The fire rapidly spread through grass and juniper.  Numerous resources were mobilized to the fire, including wildland...

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 NEWS RELEASE—Dixie Creek Fire Update July 9, 2021—9 a.m.   Contact:  Christie Shaw (541)263-0661 Christie.shaw@oregon.gov www.odfcentraloregon.com   John Day, Ore. – The High Desert Interagency Incident Type 3 Incident Management Team has completed work on the Dixie Creek Fire near Prairie City.  Today they transitioned management of the fire back to Oregon Department of Forestry’s John Day Unit.  A type 4 organization will continue to monitor and patrol the fire and complete any remaining mop-up within the perimeter.  On Thursday...

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Mop-up within the fire perimeter. Lewis Rock Fire UpdateMitchell, OR – Due to more accurate mapping, the fire now stands at 368 acres.  Containment has reached 45 percent.  Full mop-up efforts will continue as crews work to detect and extinguish hot spots.  Today, firefighters will look for pockets of smoldering fuels and occasional isolated flare ups in the far interior of the fire area.  Overall, smoke from the fire will decrease due to consumption of residual fuels and aggressive mop-up efforts.  The forecast includes the return of...

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NEWS RELEASE—Dixie Creek Fire Update July 8, 2021—9 a.m.   Contact:  Christie Shaw (541)263-0661 Christie.shaw@oregon.gov www.odfcentraloregon.com   John Day, Ore. – Firefighters on the 541 acre Dixie Creek Fire near Prairie City have continued to make progress mopping up the interior of the fire, increasing the area of cool black adjacent to the fireline.  This work to secure the fire is a slow process, as firefighters grid the area looking and feeling for hot spots.  The fire is 90% contained. Firefighting resources are being released to...

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Lewis Rock Fire on July 7th Mitchell, OR– Mop-up is in full swing on the Lewis Rock Fire five miles south of Mitchell. The size of the fire has not changed in three days, holding at 440 acres. Containment has reached 30 percent. Part of the mop-up process includes a two-person crew armed with hand-held infrared cameras to detect hot spots undetectable to the human eye. These patches of heat can smolder beneath the surface of bulldozer berms, stumps, rocks and downed logs. Once detected, the area is unearthed with hand tools and soaked much like drowning a...

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Morning Briefing July 7th NEWS RELEASE—Dixie Creek Fire Update July 7, 2021—9 a.m.   Contact:  Christie Shaw (541)263-0661 Christie.shaw@oregon.gov www.odfcentraloregon.com   John Day, Ore. – Firefighters on the Dixie Creek Fire, near Prairie City, continue to make progress mopping-up the fire.  The 541 acre fire is now 75% contained.  There is very little smoke visible within the incident. The increased containment has allowed the fire to release resources from the incident to mobilize to other fires across the state and to return home...

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Dixie Creek Fire Update John Day, Ore. – Firefighters made significant progress securing the Dixie Creek Fire Monday.  The fire remains in the same footprint, however updated mapping has estimated the fire to be 541 acres.  Containment for the fire is estimated at 50%.  High Desert Interagency Type 3 Team is managing the fire, which is burning on Oregon Department of Forestry and Prairie City Rural Fire Department protection.  Nearly 200 firefighters are assigned to the fire. Firefighters are working to mop-up within the perimeter of the fire...

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Lewis Rock Fire Update Mitchell, OR– Oregon Department of Forestry’s Incident Management Team 3, led by Incident Commander Tyler McCarty, assumed command of the Lewis Rock Fire Monday evening. The arrival of the team brings in additional overhead capacity and firefighting resources. The team’s presence also relieves local assets that have been battling the fire since June 30.  Persistent winds that have been challenging firefighters over the past several days finally calmed and allowed crews to hold the fire in check overnight. The fire is now estimated at...

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 Oregon Department of ForestryCentral Oregon DistrictJohn Day Unit415 Patterson Bridge RoadJohn Day, OR  97845   NEWS RELEASE—Lewis Rock Fire July 5, 2021— 3:30 p.m.   Contact:  Tom Fields LewisRock.Information@gmail.com   John Day, Ore. – The Lewis Rock Fire has grown to an estimated 400 acres, since being sparked by lightning June 30th.  Firefighters have continued to be challenged by numerous spotfires outside containment lines, caused by flying embers from trees torching.  Wildland fuel conditions are incredibly dry and...

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 Dixie Creek Fire UpdateOregon Department of Forestry Central Oregon District John Day Unit 415 Patterson Bridge Road John Day, OR  97845   NEWS RELEASE July 5, 2021—9 a.m.   Contact:  Christie Shaw (541)263-0661 Christie.shaw@oregon.gov www.odfcentraloregon.com   John Day, Ore. – The Dixie Creek Fire, burning approximately three miles northwest of Prairie City, has burned approximately 570 acres of grass, brush, and timber within Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Central Oregon District and Prairie City Rural Fire Department...

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Lewis Rock Fire July 4th Evening ODF Wildfire Evening Update[John Day, Ore.]  No new fires were reported on lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) John Day Unit today.  Firefighting efforts for the Unit focused on the Dixie Creek Fire located approximately three acres northwest of Prairie City and the Lewis Rock Fire burning near Mitchell. The Dixie Creek Fire was reported Saturday evening burning in timber, grass, and brush on lands protected by ODF and Prairie City Rural Fire Department.  The fire quickly grew to an estimated...

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 Wildfire Update[John Day, Ore.]  Two new fires were reported on lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) John Day Unit on Saturday.  The Mitchell Spring Fire was reported mid-morning approximately eight miles east of Spray and was fully contained and controlled at less than a tenth of an acre by early afternoon.  The Dixie Creek Fire, burning two miles northwest of Prairie City, was reported late in the afternoon on ODF and Prairie City Rural Fire Department protection. Late Saturday evening the fire was estimated to be 570...

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 Dixie Creek Fire[John Day, Ore.]  The Dixie Creek Fire was reported just before 2:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon burning 3 miles northwest of Prairie City in Grant County.  The fire was ignited by a lighting strike Thursday afternoon, and has been smoldering, unobserved until today. Wind and hot temperatures caused the fire to rapidly spread through timber, brush and grass on lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry’s John Day Unit and Prairie City Rural Fire Department.  The fire is visible from Prairie City and from Highway 26. Resources...

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 ODF:  Wildfire Update[John Day, Ore.]  Firefighters continue to make progress on fires in Oregon Department of Forestry’s John Day Unit.  The Lewis Rock Fire and Bologna Fire were sparked by passing thunderstorms Wednesday.  Additional “holdover” fires are anticipated from these storms as fuels dry and temperatures remain warm.  Firefighters completed fireline on the Lewis Rock Fire Friday, and reached 29% containment for the fire.  Late in the day three Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) and a heavy airtanker were used to knock...

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Lewis Rock Fire (Friday Morning)Wildfire Update[Prineville, Ore.]  Firefighting work continued Thursday in efforts to suppress wildfires on Central Oregon District protected lands.  Warm temperatures and windy conditions challenged firefighters on the Lewis Rock Fire throughout the day.  Retardant drop from air tankers was essential for keeping the fire in check, allowing firefighters to construct new fireline when the fire spotted across.  Fire growth yesterday was limited to approximately 12 acres, for a total size of 70 acres.  Today...

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Lewis Rock Fire.  Photo taken Wednesday Evening Lightning Sparks Fires Within ODF’s Central Oregon District[Prineville, Ore.]  Passing thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and evening sparked several new fires on Oregon Department of Forestry protected lands within the Central Oregon District.  Some of the storm cells came with significant precipitation, but in other areas there was limited moisture.  Today firefighters will work to locate fires from the storm as well as continuing suppression efforts on existing fires.  Reconnaissance...

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 ODF Urges Caution With Hot Dry Weather[Prineville, Ore.]  Hot, dry conditions persist across Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Central Oregon District, presenting extreme fire risk in wildland fuels.  Numerous fire starts across the area and the fire behavior associated with these fires concerns managers as we head toward the holiday weekend.  There are many options for celebrating with friends and family while following fire prevention measures.  Please recreate responsibly and be mindful of activities which may create a fire ignition...

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ODF Central Oregon District Implements Additional Restrictions for Industrial Operations[Prineville, Ore.]  Additional restrictions for industrial forest operations in Oregon Department of Forestry’s Prineville and John Day Units will begin at 12:01 a.m. on June 30, 2021.  These restrictions are intended to reduce potential fire ignitions resulting from logging and other forest operations. “We are seeing record fuel conditions daily,” says Prineville Unit Forester Gordon Foster.  “Right now, with the current fuel conditions and temperatures, the...

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 Firefighters Catch Multiple Starts Along I-84[The Dalles, Ore.]  Firefighters responded to three fires Friday morning burning adjacent to Interstate 84 near Rowena, while working to put these fires out two additional starts were discovered along the freeway.  These fires, named the Milepost 78 Fire, burned grass, brush and timber primarily within Mayer State Park protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF).  The three larger fires burned approximately seven acres between I-84 and the railroad tracks, the other two fires were limited to a...

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Regulated-Use Closure Implemented to Reduce Human Caused Wildfires[Prineville, Ore.]  Wildfires resulting from human activities continue to plague firefighters in Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Central Oregon District.  In an effort to reduce these fires the District will implement a 10 a.m. Regulated-Use Closure which restricts high risk activities linked to wildfire starts.  Beginning at 12:01 a.m. June 24, 2021, the following restrictions will be in effect:Possession of the following firefighting equipment is required while traveling in a...

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Restrictions for Industrial Operations Increase With Rise in Wildfire Risk

    Restrictions for Industrial Operations Increase With Rise in Wildfire Risk   [THE DALLES, Ore.]  Industrial Fire Precaution Levels (IFPL) for Oregon Department of Forestry protected lands in Hood River and Wasco counties (MH-1 and MH-4) will increase June 23, 2021, at 12:01 a.m.  Fire behavior in recent days combined with the forecast of hot, dry weather has prompted fire managers to implement further restrictions to reduce the potential of wildfire ignition from forest operations. IFPL 3 will be in effect for MH-1, these lands are located east of Oregon...

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