Falls & Telephone Fires updates for Friday, 7/26
By Logan Bagett on Friday, July 26th, 2024 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
GRANT/HARNEY COUNTIES – Follow this page for updates to the Falls Fire.
Click below for the full evacuation map:
GRANT/HARNEY COUNTIES – UPDATE – 7/26 at 11 a.m.
Falls and Telephone Fires Update for July 26, 2024
Falls Fire Quick Facts:
Size: 141,927 Start Date: July 10, 2024 Location: 13 Miles NW of Burns, OR
Containment: 55% Total Personnel: 1,558 Cause: Human-caused, under investigation
Structures Triaged: Residences: 377; Commercial: 118 Outbuildings: 677
Resources Assigned: 38 hand crews, 79 engines, 24 bulldozers, 25 water tenders
Aerial resources available to the fire: two helicopters, and single-engine air tankers (SEATS)
Telephone Fire Quick Facts:
Size: 12,180 Start Date: July 22, 2024 Location: 12 miles NE of Burns, OR
Containment: 0% Total Personnel: Staffed by Falls Fire personnel Cause: Lightning/Natural
New Fire Activity Quick Facts:
Whiskey Mountain: 2,565 acres; Cow Creek: 85 acres; Sand: 2,733 acres; Parasol: 353 acres; Poison: 39.6
Alaska Complex Incident Management Team 1 assumed command of Falls and Telephone Fires at 6:00 am Friday morning and remains in Unified Command with Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM).
Thursday afternoon, strong afternoon winds coupled with extremely dry fuels increased fire behavior on the Telephone Fire. Several new fire starts were located to the east of Falls Fire in the Parasol Butte area. Evacuation levels were issued and extended due to the new starts and Telephone Fire’s move across FSR28.
Crews assigned to the Falls Fire responded to new starts and the expanding Telephone Fire, along with aerial resources, to minimize the impact of fire growth. Structure protection crews quickly mobilized and also responded to the area. Telephone Fire has grown 3,000 acres and moved further to the southeast overnight and is approximately 4 miles north of Hwy 20.
Falls Fire: On Thursday, control lines continued to hold in areas where homes were previously threatened, including the Red Hill area and the Izee community. Prep has been completed by wildland and structure crews within the area directly adjacent to the Sand Fire, where the fire is steadily moving away from structures. This allowed OSFM assets to shift to the Telephone Fire, as fire activity moved to the northeast. Structural assets also continue to patrol the Highway 395 corridor, protecting properties to both the east and west. Structure crews responded alongside wildland resources to the Parasol Butte area to address structural protection related to multiple new fires in the area. This work continued overnight, with crews identifying structures and evaluating protection needs.
Crews on the southern and western perimeter continued to reinforce control line and mopped up additional hot spots. On the western side, firefighters conducted burn operations to tie the Whiskey Mountain Fire into the Falls Fire. Fire crews utilized direct attack and firing operations to protect resources to the west, including Izee. To the northwest, firefighters worked to tie together portions of control line using dozers and hand crews. On the northeast side, crews advanced fireline on the FSR31, moving west along Lonesome Creek with the assistance of heavy equipment. On the eastern edge, work progressed along FSR31, with fuel removal and mop up.
Today, crews will continue to mop up and hold areas on the south end of the Falls Fire. To the west, direct and indirect firing tactics will be used to tie Whiskey Mountain Fire into the Falls Fire and existing road lines.
Telephone Fire: On Thursday, the fire experienced significant growth to the south and southeast and crossed FSR28 and Military Road. The fire has crossed Cow Creek, as well as Little Cow Creek. Crews remained engaged in suppression efforts and worked alongside night shift for several hours. The plan for Friday is to continue tying in firelines in the north and to look for opportunities to anchor the fire near FSR28.
Focus has shifted the structural resources north of Highway 20, throughout the Cow Creek area and continuing east. Overnight, OSFM assets assigned to the Telephone Fire continued to patrol the structures to the south and southeast of the fire area. Friday, crews will continue to identify, assess and begin to prep homes in the area affected by the updated level 3 evacuation zone. This work is being prioritized on homes directly adjacent to the fireline.
Although Thursday was another active day, the threat to structures does still continue to trend downward. As part of the structure risk reduction, the number of surveyed and prepped structures has increased. This means that the location of structures is mapped, ensuring crews will know the best access routes, should they become threatened. The prep work that has been completed ranges from surface to full prep, depending on proximity to the fire. These extensive efforts help mitigate the risk to structures should the fire front move through the area.
New Starts: There were multiple new fires reported Thursday inside the Falls and Telephone Fire Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) area. Resources assigned to the Falls Fire engaged in initial attack (IA). The largest of these starts is the Parasol Fire, located near Parasol Butte. It is estimated at around 353 acres. An additional start located near Poison Creek, was approximately 40 acres. Resources from multiple locations from the Falls Fire were assigned to both new starts. Firefighters will remain on the Parasol and Poison fires Friday and will work direct on the fire’s edge where possible. Firefighters assigned to the fires around the Falls Fire will respond to any new starts.
The Sand Fire, which is burning near Sand Mountain north of the Falls Fire, was discovered yesterday. Air resources assisted ground forces with suppression efforts and made steady progress throughout the day. OSFM Task Forces provided structural protection. Crews took advantage of cooler night temperatures to conduct strategic firing operations, in conjunction with heavy equipment, to create control lines. OSFM crews will work to complete protection work on structures in the vicinity.
Weather: Smoky conditions will continue through the morning. An inversion layer sits over the fire and is expected to lift by early afternoon. Temperatures will remain slightly lower today and will stay in the mid-80’s. Skies will generally be clear by afternoon. Like Thursday, northwesterly winds will become westerly and breezier in the afternoon before returning to northeasterly. Gusty winds can be expected over the fire again later today.
Evacuations: Evacuations remain in place in both Grant and Harney Counties and have expanded to include Level 3 evacuations due to the Telephone, Parasol and Poison Fires. For the most accurate evacuation information, please visit the Harney County Sheriff’s evacuation map here: https://tinyurl.com/3zst4sjy, or the Grant County Emergency Management Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068819321423.
Closures: Due to active wildfires compounded by extremely unfavorable weather conditions, limited firefighting resources and County Resources, Malheur National Forest officials have temporarily closed lands within the Malheur National Forest.
Investigation: U.S. Forest Service fire investigators are seeking the public’s assistance with any tips or information pertinent to the start of the Falls Fire on the Malheur National Forest. Please submit any information that could assist fire investigation efforts to SM.FS.R6TipHotLine@usda.gov.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Falls-Fire-2024-61562126623985/
Falls Fire InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ormaf-falls-fire
Telephone Fire InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ormaf-telephone-fire
Fire Information Line: 541-208-4370, staffed 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Email: 2024.Falls@firenet.gov
Harney County non-emergency evacuation questions: 541-589-5579
Air quality questions: 541-573-2271
Smoke Outlooks: https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook
Photos: Bailey Logging and Rachel Brozovich, OSFM.
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(From Falls Fire 2024)
A BLM-contracted single engine air tanker (SEAT) was reported missing while assisting on a lightning start in the vicinity of the Falls Fire on the evening of July 25, 2024. Search efforts began immediately and will resume today. The fire is located near Seneca, Oregon on the Malheur National Forest. No additional information is available at this time.
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UPDATE -7/25 at 11a .m. – (From NW IMT 8)
Falls and Telephone Fires Update for July 25, 2024
Falls Fire Quick Facts:
Size: 140,422 Start Date: July 10, 2024 Location: 13 Miles NW of Burns, OR
Containment: 50% Total Personnel: 1,628 Cause: Human-caused, under investigation
Structures Triaged: Residences: 347; Commercial: 104; Outbuildings: 605
Resources Assigned: 49 hand crews, 93 engines, 23 bulldozers, 31 water tenders
Aerial resources available to the fire: two helicopters, and single-engine air tankers (SEATS)
Telephone Fire Quick Facts:
Size: 9,000 Start Date: July 22, 2024 Location: 12 miles NE of Burns, OR
Containment: 0% Total Personnel: Staffed by Falls Fire personnel Cause: Lightning/Natural
Despite high, multi-directional, outflow winds from thunderstorms, control lines on Falls and Telephone fire held firm yesterday. Oregon State Fire Marshall (OSFM) Task Forces and wildland firefighters responded to multiple new starts likely resulting from lightning strikes in the early afternoon. Oregon State Fire Marshal crews were in position to protect structures on both the east and west sides of the highway – including those to the North of the Telephone Fire. Additional crews staffed the structures along the southern edge of the Telephone Fire.
The coordinated efforts of structural and wildland resources have resulted in reducing the risk to structures, thanks to extensive prep work, the reinforcement of control lines and widespread mop up efforts. OSFM will begin to draw down resources accordingly, returning them to their home agencies and increasing availability for other Oregon fires. As a result, three OSFM task forces will be demobilized today. These crews are from Douglas, Tillamook, Clackamas, and Washington Counties. Five OSFM structure groups will remain on the fire, a combination of California and Washington Task Forces. Local resources also remain available to provide structural response should the need arise.
Northwest Incident Management Team will transition to Alaska Team 1 assuming command of both fires at 6:00 AM tomorrow.
Falls Fire: Yesterday, OSFM and wildland crews protected numerous structures along County Road 63, as well as the ranches near Blackhorse Butte and Greenspring Draw. Fortunately, surface prep had previously been completed on these structures by OSFM crews as part of a contingency plan for the Falls Fire. Containment lines held along southern portions of the fire perimeter and as well as much of the eastern and western flanks of the fire. The fire remained active in the northern perimeter of the fire as crews continued to complete construction of both direct and indirect control line.
Today, crews in the northwest corner of the fire will also continue to hold and mop-up below the western slopes of Burnt Mountain along FSR 4785 near Coral Creek south and east to FSR 47 near the junction with FSR 3150. Crews will work to connect fireline back into FSR 3150 in the northeast corner of the fire. Work will also continue further east on FSR 3150, preparing it to use as a control line, and for conducting tactical burnouts.
The northeast corner of the fire remains active. Firefighters will continue to hold and mop up areas adjacent to the FSR 31 south of Myrtle Park Meadows, and work on tying the fire back into the FSR 31. Structural and wildland crews are coordinating to protect structures and mitigate risk to the Gold Hill and Silvies Valley areas.
Patrol and mop-up operations will continue along the south half of the fire perimeter – the area spanning from the southwest perimeter of the fire to near the upper northwest perimeter. Further north, away from the fire perimeter, construction will continue on a planned secondary contingency line along FSR 37 just west of Hwy 395 in the Fisk Gulch area. This secondary contingency line is part of an alternate plan and will run east to west using portions of FSR 37 and FSR 31.
Telephone Fire: Yesterday, crews continued to construct and hold control lines around the fire, having good success despite the challenges of thunderstorms and high winds. Control lines have been established on the west flank, along FSR 2820, to the north, along FSR 480, and east along FSR 28. Firefighters caught a number of spots north of FSR 480. Firefighters also scouted for areas to construct control lines to the south.
Today, crews will continue to secure and hold established control lines along the northern, southern, and eastern perimeters, and work to establish control line on the southern end of the fire. Crews will also continue to mop-up spots north of FSR 480. Aerial resources will be available to help with suppression operations. Structural crews will be completing reassessments on previously prepped structures along the fire’s southern edge.
New Fire Activity: At least eight new fire starts have been located within the area that the Incident Management Team has been delegated authority to conduct initial attack and take suppression actions. Crews responded quickly and most of the new starts have been kept small. Wildland and OSFM resources will be working to protect values are risk and establish control lines around all of the new starts.
The largest of the new fires is the Whiskey Mountain Fire, which is located 2 ½ miles southwest of Whiskey Mountain and is approximately 1,300 acres. The Sand Fire is approximately 540 acres and located on the north side of the Falls Fire near Sand Mountain. Structural resources will complete full prep in the area impacted by the new fire starts north of Falls Fire. This includes areas from Officer’s Cabin, working east towards Lewis Creek Ranch and spanning along the northern edge of the fire to Highway 395, as well as down into Silvies Valley where the Falls Fire remains active. Resources will also be completing full prep on buildings along the 63 road, ensuring structural protection in the Sand Mountain area.
Southeast of the Telephone Fire OSFM brought night shift resources to the line early to assist local resources with initial attack on a new start off Cow Creek. Fortunately, resources were quickly able to get this fire under control and the threat to structures in the immediate area has been mitigated.
Weather: Cooler today with temperatures in the 80s. Skies will generally be clear. Diurnally-driven northwesterly winds will become westerly and breezier in the afternoon before returning to northeasterly. There is a 5 percent chance of thunder storms.
Evacuations: Evacuations remain in place in both Grant and Harney Counties due to the Falls and Telephone Fires. For the most accurate evacuation information, please visit the Harney County Sheriff’s evacuation map here: https://tinyurl.com/3zst4sjy, or the Grant County Emergency Management Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068819321423.
Closures: Due to active wildfires compounded by extremely unfavorable weather conditions, limited firefighting resources and County Resources, Malheur National Forest officials have temporarily closed lands within the Malheur National Forest.
Investigation: U.S. Forest Service fire investigators are seeking the public’s assistance with any tips or information pertinent to the start of the Falls Fire on the Malheur National Forest. Please submit any information that could assist fire investigation efforts to SM.FS.R6TipHotLine@usda.gov.
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Falls Fire morning quick facts as of Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
Acreage: 140,422
Containment: 50%
Total Personnel: 1621
Telephone Fire Morning Quick Facts
Acreage: 9,000
Containment: 0%
A cold front is expected to move over the fire today that will bring gusty westerly winds, thunder and rain. Highest chance of thunderstorms is between 2 pm and 10 pm.
