Progress continues on Town Gulch Fire. Red Flag conditions expected
By Garrett Christensen on Monday, August 12th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER COUNTY — (Release provided by multiple emergency agencies) Fire Information: 541-208-7092, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Town Gulch Fire Facebook: tinyurl.com/ycypw2bt
Email: 2024.TownGulch@firenet.gov
Linktree: linktr.ee/TownGulchFire
Size: 18,161 acres (391 reduction)
Cause: Lightning
Containment: 37 percent
Start Date: August 5, 2024
Total Personnel: 296 Structures Damaged or Destroyed: 4
RED FLAG CONDITIONS: Red Flag Conditions are expected Monday night into early Tuesday due to dry thunderstorms. Lightning without accompanying rain and outflow winds up to 40 mph are possible after 10:00 PM tonight. A Red Flag Warning is issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) to alert the public, firefighters, and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fires to start and spread quickly.
CURRENT SITUATION: Today, crews will utilize water, heavy equipment and hand tools to improve line and create a cold, fuel free barrier up to 100’ within containment lines. Yesterday near China Spring, a hotshot crew completed over one half mile of handline to tie the secondary containment line into a road. Firefighters will patrol and monitor the west, south and east sides of the fire. The focus is to extinguish all hotspots within 50’ of containment lines. On the west side of the fire, resources are focused on keeping the fire out of timber stringers located in creek drainages. These dense pockets of fuel often involve tree torching and spotting if ignited. A network of firehose, pumps and water tanks will aid in this effort.
The size of the fire has been reduced by 391 acres as a result of more accurate mapping.
WEATHER: The weather will be hot and dry once again today, with a high near 90 degrees. Relative humidity will drop to about 20% today. Winds are expected to be light and mainly terrain-driven throughout the day. High temperatures will drop to the high 70s/low 80s on Tuesday due to the storm system moving into the area. Humidity is showing good recovery at night, climbing into the low to mid 50 percent. As unburned fuels within the fire perimeter continue to ignite, smoke will impact local air quality. Today’s air quality in the area is rated as moderate. Current air quality information is available on the Oregon smoke blog (https://www.oregonsmoke.org/).
CLOSURES: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest lands, roads, trails, and recreation sites around the Town Gulch Fire are temporarily closed and fire restrictions are in effect. Forest closure orders and maps can be found on the Forest’s “Forest Orders” web page: tinyurl.com/36t4f2t2.
EVACUATIONS: Baker County Sheriff’s Office has issued Level 1, 2, and 3 evacuations for areas near the fire. Follow the sheriff’s office Facebook page (tinyurl.com/3auvka4j) for the latest evacuation news. Residents may sign up to receive emergency notifications through Baker County ALERT (tinyurl.com/884czdrf).
