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Widespread lightning over the Pacific Northwest on July 16 ignited many wildland fires. Firefighters are detecting, assessing and attacking these fires as they develop. Fires on the Diamond Lake District of the Umpqua National Forest are grouped into the Diamond Complex. 

Complex Incident Management Team Northwest 7, led by Incident Commander Nate LeFevre, assumed command of the Diamond Complex at 6:00am on Saturday, July 20th, 2024. Currently there are nine fires totaling an estimated 1755 acres in the Diamond Complex, under a strategy of full suppression. This means firefighters are directly attacking the fires’ edge where access and firefighter safety allow, and implementing indirect strategies using constructed control lines, and utilizing natural barriers where access issues and safety concerns prevent direct attack. 

The fires currently comprising the Diamond Complex are Pine Bench, 773 acres, north of Hwy 138 near Dry Creek; Trail, 701 acres, east of Hwy 138 on the west slope of Mt. Thielsen; Lemolo, north of Lemolo Lake on Bunker Hill, 173 acres;  Pig Iron, Pig Iron Mountain north of Hwy 138, 2 acres; Watson, north of Hwy 138 on Watson Ridge, 37 acres; Brodie, 40 acres,  about 5 miles south of Hwy 138 and south of Devils Canyon; Trep, 21 acres, about 4 miles south of Hwy 138; Garwood, 2 acres, about 3 miles southwest of Mt. Bailey; Slide, northeast of the Pine Bench, 0.1 acres and Clearwater, 0.1 acres. There are also several emerging new fires that have been observed. 

Yesterday, Northwest Team 7 had a successful shadow day with the local Type 3 team that was in place previously. Crews assessed the Trail, Pine Bench, Pig Iron and Lemolo fires and while doing so, detected more fires to the south. Firefighting operations continued with active suppression on the Trail Fire with the anchor points holding well. The Pig Iron had active suppression activities with ground and aerial resources to protect current infrastructure. 

Today, active suppression continues with the Lemolo, Trail, Pig Iron and Pine Bench fires as priorities. As the fires progress, the team will re-prioritize suppression actions. Active fire behavior is expected with incoming predicted weather. Firefighters will continue to remain vigilant for the possibility of more lightning. Nationally and in the Pacific Northwest, fire activity is putting an extreme demand on firefighting resources. This means that firefighters must carefully prioritize and efficiently utilize available resources to protect values at risk. The highest priority will remain public and firefighter safety and protecting infrastructure and homes.

Weather: The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch in effect from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are expected with temperatures in the 80’s, low relative humidity, and gusty winds due to the incoming thunderstorms. Expect active fire behavior and smoke in the area. 

Closures and Evacuations: The USFS and the Douglas County Sheriff have implemented public safety measure in response to these fires. For a map of the Trail Fire Closure Order, visit: https://bit.ly/3SeYvih. The Douglas County Sherriff has issued a Level 3: GO NOW for the Trail Fire and a Level 2: BE SET for the Pine Bench. Fire danger is set at High and public use restrictions are set at Level 2. Please see detailed information here:   www.dcso.com/EVACUATIONS and www.fs.usda.gov/umpqua.