Oregon State Fire Marshal McLean Creek Conflagration Situation Report #5

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Oregon State Police - Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal

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McLean Creek Conflagration Situation Report #5

OREGON STATE FIRE MARSHAL (OSFM) INCIDENT SITUATION REPORT

1400 hours 29 July 2006

Prepared by Donna Disch

OSFM REPORT
TYPE OF INCIDENT:
Conflagration

INCIDENT NAME: McLean Creek Fire/Foster Gulch Complex

DATE AND TIME FIRE STARTED: 23 July 2006, 1900

For Conflagration: DATE AND TIME CONFLAGRATION DECLARED: 24 July 2006 at 2010 hours Requested by Baker County Commission Chair Fred Warner Jr., County Emergency Manager Mark Bennett and Fire Defense Board Chief Buzz Harper.

LOCATION: Eastern Baker County, 4 miles south and 6 miles NE of Halfway, Oregon. Fire is threatening the communities of Oxbow, Homestead, and Pine Creek. The fire is moving north towards Hells Canyon Wilderness Area.

SIZE: 34,487 acres. The fire is 20 percent contained. On 28 July 2006 the two fires grew together between Highway 86 and Brownlee Reservoir.

CAUSE: Lightning

STATUS: On 28 July 2006 the fire is reported as 20 percent contained. Malheur, Union and Central Oregon structural task forces have been demobilized. They are leaving the fire and are returning to their home districts.

Fire is under unified command between the USFS and OSFM. Highway 86 is closed from forest road 39 to Oxbow. The river road is closed north of Oxbow.

Structure protection is in place along Highway 86 at the community of Oxbow. The night of 26 July 2006 USFS and structural crews worked together on a burnout designed to remove the structural risk to burn the fuels threatening structures before the fire reaches them. Firefighters are careful to gauge temperature, humidity and wind conditions.

On 26 July 2006 the fire burned actively all day developing two large thermal columns in the afternoon and potential for fire to create its own weather dynamics.

The fire originated on US Forest Service land.

RESIDENCES THREATENED: 90 homes in the community of Pine Creek, Oxbow and Homestead.

STRUCTURES THREATENED: No other structures threatened

RESIDENCES EVACUATED: Voluntary evacuation remains in place for Highway 86 from forest road 39 to and including the community of Oxbow.

RESIDENCES LOST:

OTHER STRUCTURES LOST:

INJURIES/FATALITIES: None known

SPECIAL CONDITIONS: Fire conditions include high temperatures with low humidity and fine flashy fuels on steep ground, structure protection, and major power transmission infrastructure within fire perimeter. Fuels include timber, forage, private property, cultural resources, 230KV power transmission lines, communications site, wilderness, and wilderness study area.

AGENCIES INVOLVED IN SUPPRESSION:

INCIDENT COMMANDER: --WILDLAND OR OTHER (STATE WHICH TYPE): Type 1 Federal National Team: Bob Anderson

STRUCTURAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: Scott Magers

COOPERATING AND ASSISTING AGENCIES: Oregon Department of Transportation, Idaho Power Company, Baker County Sheriff, and the Red Cross.

OSFM RESOURCES –

Task Force/Strike Team	# of Personnel	# of Equipment	Fire Departments
Umatilla/Morrow Co. Task Force #1	2	Command	Pendleton
Umatilla/Morrow Co. Task Force #1	4	Type I Engine	Pendleton
Umatilla/Morrow Co. Task Force #1	3	Type I Engine	East Umatilla County
Umatilla/Morrow Co. Task Force #1	3	Type III Engine	Heppner
Umatilla/Morrow Co. Task Force #1	2	Tender	Umatilla
Umatilla/Morrow Co. Task Force #1	4	Type I Engine	Hermiston
	18
(DEMOBILIZED 28 July 2006@17:00 )
Malheur Co. Task Force #1	1	Command	Ontario FD
Malheur Co. Task Force #1	3	Type I Engine	Ontario FD
Malheur Co. Task Force #1	3	Type II Engine	Payette FD
Malheur Co. Task Force #1	3	Type II Engine	Fruitland Fire Department
Malheur Co. Task Force #1	2	Type I Tender	Weiser Rural FD
Malheur Co. Task Force #1	3	Type II Engine	Weiser Rural FD
	15
Hood River Task Force #1	4	Type I Engine	Hood River
Hood River Task Force #1	3	Type I Engine	Mid Columbia Fire & Rescue
Hood River Task Force #1	2	Type II Tender	Pine Grove Fire Department
Hood River Task Force #1	4	Type I Engine	Westside Fire
Hood River Task Force #1	2	Command	Hood River
Hood River Task Force #1	1	Support	Mid Columbia Fire & Rescue
Hood River Task Force #1	3	Type I Engine	Parkdale Fire
	19
Washington Co. Task Force #1	4	Type I Engine	Hillsboro Fire
Washington Co. Task Force #1	4	Type I Engine	Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue
Washington Co. Task Force #1	4	Type I Engine	Cornelius
Washington Co. Task Force #1	3	Type III Engine	Banks Fire
Washington Co. Task Force #1	2	Type II Tender	Forest Grove
Washington Co. Task Force #1	2	Command	Cornelius/Banks
Washington Co. Task Force #1	1	Support	Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue
	20
(DEMOBILIZED 28 July 2006@12:45)
Union Co. Task Force #1	1	Command	La Grande RFPD
Union Co. Task Force #1	2	Type II Tender	Imbler RFPD
Union Co. Task Force #1	3	Type I Engine	La Grande RFPD
Union Co. Task Force #1	2	Type II Engine	Imbler RFPD
Union Co. Task Force #1	2	Type III Engine	Cove RFPD
Union Co. Task Force #1	4	Type I Engine	La Grande RFPD
	14
(DEMOBILIZED 28 July 2006@09:15)
Central Oregon Task Force #1	2	Command	Bend Fire
Central Oregon Task Force #1	2	Type I Tender	Bend Fire
Central Oregon Task Force #1	3	Type II Engine	La Pine
Central Oregon Task Force #1	3	Type II Engine	Crook County Fire & Rescue
Central Oregon Task Force #1	3	Type I Engine	Jefferson County
Central Oregon Task Force #1	4	Type I Engine	Redmond
	17
Total task force participants for McLean Creek Conflagration	102

Task force: one task force leader with command vehicle, capability to refill own water tanks, three type I or II engines with off-pavement capability, one type III engine and one tender.

OSFM INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM: NAME Team

Position	Name	Fire Service
Administrator	State Fire Marshal Nancy Orr	OSFM
Agency Representative	Chief Deputy Randy Simpson	OSFM
IC	Scott Magers	McMinnville Fire Department
Deputy IC	Bill Anderson	Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue
IIO	Lou Gugliotta	Jackson County FD #3
Safety Officer	Ron Youngberg	Columbia River Fire & Rescue
Planning	John Fowler	Pendleton Fire & Ambulance
Deputy Planning	Eric Schult	Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue
Resource Unit Leader	Richard Smith	OSFM
Logistics	Kristina Deschaine/Sarah Colvin	OSFM
Finance	Dave Jones	OSFM
Ops Chief	Andy Louden	Corvallis Fire Department
Deputy Ops	Bob Madden	Bend Fire & Rescue
Div/Grp Supervisors	Doug Cox/Richard LaBelle/Dewaine Holster
Communications Unit	David Neys**	ODOT Bend – Bend Fire Dept.

** Communications Unit is made up of representatives from ARESMAT: Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) Mutual Assistance Teams (MAT)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Total costs to date: $1,200,000; Projected OSFM structural mobilization expenses to date: $272,425.00.
Photos of the fire may be viewed at: http://egov.oregon.gov/OSP/SFM/
Wildfire…Evacuation Readiness http://egov.oregon.gov/OSP/SFM/docs/Comm_Ed/WUI/wildfire_evac.doc
After the Wildfire… http://egov.oregon.gov/OSP/SFM/docs/Comm_Ed/WUI/After_a_wildfire.doc
More information is available at OSFM website: http://egov.oregon.gov/OSP/SFM under Wildland Urban Interface and Emergency Mobilization and http://egov.oregon.gov/OSP/SFM/docs/Comm_Ed/WUI/WUIR_1_Conflagration_Impact.pdf

PRESS RELEASES:
28 July 2006: Structural fire task forces begin demobilizing from McLean Creek Conflagration
27 July 2006: Crews work all night protecting structures from the McLean Creek Conflagration
26 July 2006: Structural firefighters protect homes threatened by McLean Creek Conflagration
25 July 2006: McLean Creek fire in eastern Oregon declared a Conflagration

OTHER RESOURCES:
Oregon Department of Forestry
http://egov.oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/OPS/daily.shtml

Pacific Northwest Fire Situation Report (NW Interagency Coordination Center):
http://www.nwccweb.us/information/fire_info.asp

Page updated: October 12, 2007

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