Daily Update, August 22, Summit Springs Complex
Incident: Summit Springs Wildland Fire
Released: 8/22/2008
Oregon Department of Forestry
Incident Management Team 3
Nancy Hirsch, Incident Commander
Summit Springs Complex
Daily Morning Information Update
For Friday August 22, 2008
Windy conditions continued on the Summit Springs Complex through early evening on Thursday. Firefighters worked to strengthen containment lines established by night crews throughout the day. A few spot fires did occur on the Green Ridge and Summit Springs Fires but crews were able to quickly re-establish the lines. Helicopters continued to provide critically important support for firefighters though air tankers were grounded by the high winds. The eastern flank of the Summit Springs Fire, which has seen acreage growth due to the high winds of the last few days, was held in check this time.
The fire line on Stevens Canyon Fire again withstood the windy conditions. Firefighters were able to continue making progress widening the fire line and extinguishing hot spots up to 200 feet to the interior of the fire. Pockets of fuels on the interior of the fire began to ignite as the day progressed. Smoke was observed over the fire in the late afternoon.
Friday's weather is expected to climb into the lower 80's and the relative humidity to decrease. This warmer and drier trend will present new challenges for firefighters as fuel moisture decreases and lightening hold-overs have an increased potential to surface. Winds, however, are expected to become much calmer for the first time in several days, which should help firefighting efforts.
The Incident Management Team will be moving the Incident Command Post on Friday from its present location at the Sisters Middle School to a new location at the Sisters Rodeo Grounds. As a result of this move, the Fire Information line will change to 541-549-1362 beginning at noon on Friday. Please make a note of this new number.
For More Information: The Fire Information Office phone number is 541-549-3189 (7am to noon) and 541-549-1362 (noon to 7 pm). Additional information is available on-line at the following sites:
Summit Springs Complex Fire Information Website: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1478/ or http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/summitspringscomplex.shtml
Pacific Northwest Regional Fire Information is available at http://www.nwccweb.us/index.asp
National Fire Information is available at http://www.nifc.gov/fire info/nfn.htm
Fire-At-A-Glance:
Size: 1,926 acres
Location: 10 miles North of Sisters, OR
Containment: 30%
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 879
Estimated Cost: $1,800,000 through Thursday
Evacuations: None at present
Closures/Restrictions: A closure order for a portion of the Deschutes National Forest has been issued. Details are at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/
Announcements: None
Participating Agencies: Oregon Department of Forestry, U.S. Forest Service (Deschutes National Forest and Ochoco National Forest - Crooked River National Grassland), Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, and the Sheriffs' Departments from Deschutes and Jefferson Counties.
