July 9, 2017 - Ana Fire 4 p.m. Update

July 9, 2017 - Ana Fire 4 p.m. Update

LAKEVIEW, Ore. – The Ana Fire, located 100 miles southeast of Bend, Ore., remains active at 2,000 acres. Firefighters are using every strategy and resource available to stop the Ana Fire, which was reported late Saturday afternoon near the community of Summer Lake.

Ground crews were working north and west along Highway 31 and Forest Road 2901 today, trimming low-hanging branches and tall shrubs in preparation for strategic burnout operations to keep flames low to the ground and halt the fire’s progression.

Highway 31, a common route from Bend, Ore. to Reno, Nev., is closed to through traffic until further notice to provide emergency crews and incoming resources unrestricted access.

This afternoon, fire movement is largely on Fremont-Winema National Forest, Lakeview District Bureau of Land Management and Oregon Department of Forestry-protected lands, angling away from the agricultural and residential areas of Summer Lake.

Hot Shot crews and air support will continue working the southern boundary of the fire to prevent expected afternoon winds from shifting the fire’s direction back toward to the community.

More than 150 firefighters were working this morning with support from air tankers, helicopters, engines, and dozers. Additional resources have been arriving throughout the day, reinforcing containment lines established during initial attack and overnight, and aggressively working to stop the fire’s progression. The fire is moving through rugged, rocky terrain covered by grass, shrubs, standing juniper and blowdown in the burn scar left by the Winter Fire of 2002.

Due to the complexity of the incident, South Central Fire Management Partnership (SCOFMP) Type 3 Incident Management Team assumed command early this morning. A Type 2 Incident Management Team is en route from Washington and will assume command Monday evening. Both teams will headquarter at the North Lake High School in Silver Lake, Ore.

A total of three structures were lost overnight, one outbuilding, one barn and a hunting cabin. A level one (be prepared) evacuation order is in place for the area between Silver Lake and Summer Lake.

Weather is expected to remain dry, with winds increasing in the afternoon, making any spark a potential wildfire. Members of the public are asked to be extremely careful with anything that could create a spark, whether equipment, matches, firearms, or other items.

South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership is an interagency fire management program that provides comprehensive wildland fire service to south central Oregon and northwest Nevada. The partnership strives to achieve a more efficient, effective and integrated interagency fire management program for all participating agencies on the lands administered and protected by each agency.

Participating agencies include: Fremont-Winema National Forest, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lakeview District, Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Crater Lake National Park and state lands protected by the Klamath-Lake District of the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF).

For more information, contact Fire Information Officer Sarah Saarloos with the South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership at 541-219-0515 or ssaarloos@fs.fed.us. Daily wildfire information, maps and social media links can be found at SCOFMP Blog: http://bit.ly/2sK5YHY

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