Containment increases to 42% on Town Gulch Fire in Baker County
By Joe Hathaway on Tuesday, August 13th, 2024 in Northeastern Oregon News
Size: 18,183 acres (22 acre increase) Cause: Lightning Containment: 42 percent Start Date: August 5, 2024 Total Personnel: 363 Structures Damaged or Destroyed: 4
CURRENT SITUATION: Last night’s infrared flight showed that the remaining pockets of heat in the fire area are located on the northern edge. That map is located on the ftp.wildfire.gov site and can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/Infrared-Map. Additional resources are being assigned to that area on a “seek and destroy” mission to identify and extinguish any hot spots within 100 feet of containment lines. On the east side of the fire south of Eagle Forks, crews will build on their work from previous days to continue mopping up and keeping the fire out of the timber stringers. Firefighters will patrol and monitor the fire perimeter to ensure any unburned pockets of fuel do not reignite and threaten containment lines. Over the next few days, suppression repair plans will be developed. These will determine the equipment needed to mitigate the impacts of suppression activities on the land and minimize erosion.
The increase in fire acreage is due to more accurate mapping, not the result of additional fire growth.
WEATHER, FIRE BEHAVIOR & SMOKE: The fire received minimal precipitation overnight, ranging from
0.05 – 0.1 inches of rain. Additional precipitation is expected through midday. High temperatures will drop to the high 70s/low 80s on Tuesday due to the storm system moving through the area. The rain and higher humidity will moderate fire behavior, allowing crews to continue making progress extinguishing hot spots. Smoke impacts will be minimal today. 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).
