Single Publication

Fire Update – Oakridge Lightning Fires

Chalk, Coffeepot, McKinley, Moss Mountain, Tire Mountain, 208, and 217 Fires

Friday, July 26, 2024 – 9:00 a.m.

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1

Dan Dallas, Incident Commander

Information Phone: (541) 208-1742

Email: 2024.mossmountain@firenet.gov

Information Staffing Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Special Note: A community meeting will be held this evening at 6:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Oakridge High School, 47997 W 1st St. Oakridge, OR. Fire managers and local officials will provide the latest updates on fire activity and suppression efforts. Parking at the high school is limited, please plan accordingly.

Current Situation: Oakridge Lightning fires continue to grow with low to moderate spread. Firefighters are making good progress with limited available resources as they continue to build and strengthen line in areas of highest concern. Priority fires remain the Chalk, Coffeepot, Moss Mountain, and 208 fires. The McKinley, Tire Mountain, and 217 fires are showing minimal activity and are not posing an immediate threat to valued resources. The total acreage of the seven fires is 5,027 acres with 583 personnel assigned.

Information for the seven fires making up the Oakridge Lightning Fire group is provided below. Each fire is divided into lettered divisions, for better management and safer operations. Firefighting activities and suppression actions are provided in detail for each division. Note that Division letters do not always run sequentially so that new Divisions may be added if the fire grows.

Chalk Fire (2,916 acres, 0% contained) – Crews continue to build and secure line to hold the fire as well as to provide additional options for future strategic containment operations. Expect to see increased smoke as work progress on this fire.

Division AA: Firefighters continue to take aggressive suppression action on the southern part of the Chalk Fire to protect the communities of Oakridge and Westfir.  These actions include low to moderate intensity firing operations and constructing fire line with bulldozers and other heavy equipment.

Division KK: Crews prepared for a possible firing operation later today with favorable conditions. The firing operation will tie in previous prep work to strengthen containment line on the southern part of the Chalk Fire.

Division TT: A small low-intensity firing operation is being prepared for north side of the Chalk Fire to secure options for tying in this area of the fire with the 2021 Gales Fire footprint.

Coffeepot Fire (1,687acres, 0% contained) – The Coffeepot Fire gained approximately 375 acres yesterday due to receptive heavy fuels located in rugged terrain aligned with prevailing northwesterly winds.

Division PP: Crews working on the southern part of the Coffeepot Fire are constructing and preparing line to secure the fire north of privately held land, protecting those values at risk.

Division RR: Heavy equipment and hand crews are working to build new line and strengthen existing line on the north side of the Coffeepot Fire. Work continues to tie in this section of the fire with Division WW, providing for future strategic operations.

Division WW: Prep work continues in this division to build line and scout for areas where firefighters will have a high probability of success in holding the Coffeepot Fire west of Hills Creek.

Moss Mountain Fire (201 acres, 0% contained) –Steep, rugged terrain continues to make access the Moss Mountain Fire difficult to access. Fire growth was minimal yesterday.

Division SS: This new division was created to scout and place resources where there is a high probability of success.

Division WW: Crews working in this division are preparing line and scouting for future options.

208 Fire (138 acres, 0% contained) – Division YY: Aerial imaging gathered yesterday confirmed that the 208 Fire is burning in fuels mostly surrounded by rocky terrain, with little chance of spread under current and forecasted wind conditions.

217 Fire (38 acres, 0% contained) – Division YY: This fire gained one acre yesterday. There is some threat for the fire to spread north of the Wilderness boundary. Smokejumpers continue their work of securing line and mopping up.

Tire Mountain Fire (20 acres) – Division TT: Fireline completed, minimal activity yesterday as the fire backed toward containment lines. Crews will continue to patrol this fire; some will be reassigned to higher priority divisions.

McKinley Fire (27 acres) – Division AA: Fireline completed, crews continue to mop up and secure fireline as they work toward full containment. Crews will continue to patrol this fire; some will be reassigned to higher priority divisions.

 Weather and Fire Behavior:

Smoke settled in across the Oakridge Lightning Fires this morning, which will lessen fire activity until the afternoon, when the smoke lifts and the sun provides receptive fuel more energy to burn at greater intensity. Temperatures will remain in the 70-80s with relative humidity hovering around 30-42%. Expect to see an increase in activity between 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

 Evacuations:

For evacuation information please visit: https://www.LaneCountyOR.gov/2024wildfires
To sign up for evacuation alerts please visit: https://www.LaneAlerts.org

Closures and Fire Restrictions:

Area, road, trail, and recreation site closures are in place on the Willamette National Forest in the vicinity of many active fires. Temporary road barricades are in use to restrict traffic in the areas near High Prairie and Chalk Mountain.

For specific closure information follow this link:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/willamette/alerts-notices/?cid=fseprd552029

Fire restrictions on the Willamette National Forest may be found at this link: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/willamette/alerts-notices/?aid=81487

Wildfires are a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft, including drones. If you fly, we can’t. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

 Fire Statistics

Total Personnel: 583

Location: N & S of Oakridge, OR

Cause: Lightning

For More Information

Information Phone: (541) 208-1742

Email: 2024.mossmountain@firenet.gov

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orwif-oakridge-lightning-fires-2024

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakridgeLightningFires2024/