Timber Crater 6 Fire Update
July 29, 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 – The Timber Crater 6 Fire is now 3,126 acres and is 65% contained. Work to strengthen and improve containment lines continued on the southern perimeter of the fire. Firefighters reported creeping and smoldering fire behavior along the fire line. Crews continued with mop up and cold trailing, locating hot spots near the perimeter and extinguishing them.
The Timber Crater 9 Fire was held to one-half acre. Firefighters completed a containment line around the fire and mopped up inside the perimeter. The crew on the Timber Crater 9 Fire were extracted by helicopter yesterday afternoon. Moving forward, Timber Crater 9 will be unstaffed but will be monitored from the air.
At approximately 12:30 pm yesterday, July 28, 2018, a new fire was discovered. The fire was designated as Timber Crater Fire 10. Its approximate location is 3 1/2 miles east of the North Entrance Road and 5 miles south of Highway 138. When discovered, the fire was less than 1 acre in size. Six 20-person hand crews working at the Timber Crater 6 Fire were reassigned for initial attack on the Timber Crater Fire 10. Firefighters were supported from the air by a single engine air tanker, and two helicopters using water buckets. Poor visibility hampered air operations due to smoke from fires to the west of the park. Unseasonably high temperatures, low relative humidity, and extremely dry fuel moisture levels contributed to active fire behavior and spotting up to a ¼ mile ahead of the flame front. The fire quickly grew to approximately 200 acres. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
Weather conditions in the region today may contribute to more active fire behavior. High temperatures will be in the mid to upper 80s. Relative humidity will be 13 to 20 percent, and wind speeds will be 8 to 10 miles per hour with gusts up to 20 mph. The probability of ignition indicates that a hot ember landing in dry grass in direct sunlight has a 100 percent chance of ignition. No wetting rain is forecast in the coming days.
Fire managers want park guests to have a fun and safe experience in Crater Lake National Park. Visitors should expect to see large firefighting equipment on roadways. Please drive slowly and use caution as fire vehicles may stop in unexpected locations and if backing, the operator of the apparatus may not be able to see smaller passenger vehicles in their mirrors.
Smoke from the Timber Crater 6 and 10 fires is likely to disperse to the southeast toward Klamath Falls. Drift smoke from multiple fires across southwest Oregon continues to reduce visibility in the Crater Lake National Park area. For visitors wanting to see Crater Lake under the most favorable conditions, the NW Team 9 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.co
Follow Us: at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incid
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