Timber Crater 6 Fire update Friday, July 27

Timber Crater 6 Fire Update

July 27, 2018, 10:00 am 

NW Incident Management Team (IMT) 9, Brian Goff, Incident Commander 

Contact us at: TimberCrater6.2018@gmail.com - Fire Information: 541-238-2084 (GoogleVoice) or 541-291-4158 

Crater Lake National Park, OR – Firefighters have completed line around most of the fire. Yesterday, hot and dry conditions allowed fire to progress across a “donut hole” – an interior pocket of unburned fuels along the south edge of the fire – and tie it into the fire’s edge. Containment is now 65%, with acres burned at 3125 acres, and 712 people are working on the fire. 

Weather: Hot and critically dry conditions will persist, but weaker winds than yesterday’s maximum 15 mph are forecast. Smoke is expected in the morning, and sun in the afternoon. 

Yesterday: Crews laid hose along and beyond the “donut hole” to support the firing operations used for the burnout there. This firing operation used a type 3 helicopter and plastic firing devices and hand lighting. On other areas of the fire, crews were assigned to finish and improve existing line along the fire’s flanks. Other crews worked to hold, secure, and mop up along primary containment lines. A system of contingency lines to the south was also completed. 

Plans for Today: Crews will patrol, improve and mop up containment lines all around the fire. Infrared mapping done overnight identified a spot resulting from the burnout near and outside the line on the south flank. Crews will work immediately this morning to contain the spot. As part of rehabilitation work, chipping operations are planned on several US Forest Service roads near Hwy. 138. Motorists should use extra caution in those areas and be aware of equipment and trucks adjacent to the highway. Multiple helicopters will also be active today to support firefighting efforts, including a Type 1, two Type 2 and a Type 3. Timber Crater 9, a previously unstaffed fire likely resulting from the lightning storm July 15, will now be staffed with rappelling firefighters who will be flown in. With Timber Crater 6 now secured, fire managers consider it safe to staff the acre-sized Timber Crater 9. 

Smoke: Smoke from the Timber Crater 6 fire is likely to disperse to the southeast toward Klamath Falls. Drift smoke from multiple fires across southwest Oregon continues to impact the Crater Lake National Park area. For visitors wanting to see Crater Lake under the most favorable conditions, a smoke management specialist suggests mornings as the best viewing time over the next several days. For more information about smoke conditions from air monitoring sites, visit http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/. For hourly updates visit https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/smoke.pl. Smoke monitor #19 is located at Diamond Lake and smoke monitor #20 is located at park headquarters . More information is also available at https://tools.airfire.org/outlooks/CraterLakeArea. 

Follow Us: at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5986/, Crater Lake National Park and Fremont-Winema National Forest on Facebook, and swojic.blogspot.com.