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The Salt Creek Fire, located 10 miles east of Eagle Point, began on Sunday, July 7. The Oregon Department of Forestry's Incident Management Team 1 took command of the fire on July 8.
Background: The Salt Creek Fire was first reported Sunday afternoon just after 4 p.m. on July 7. Both ODF Southwest Oregon District and Lake Creek Fire District initially responded. When firefighters arrived on scene, it was estimated to be 2-5 acres and growing quickly in the hot, dry and windy conditions. Numerous resources were ordered, including engines, bulldozers, water tenders and multiple types of aircraft. The fire grew to an estimated 10 acres within the half hour, and 200 acres an hour and a half into initial attack. Six helicopters, two Large Air Tankers (LATs) and a Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT) were ordered, and numerous retardant drops helped to box in the fire by creating temporary retardant lines around the majority of the incident. By the afternoon of July 8, the fire had grown to approximately 1,500 - 2,000 acres and local crews had lined 40% of the fire.
| Current as of | Mon, 07/15/2024 - 14:12 |
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| Incident Time Zone | America/Los_Angeles |
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
| Cause | Human |
| Date of Origin | |
| Location | 5 miles SSW of Butte Falls, Oregon |
| Incident Commander | Joe Hessel - ODF Incident Management Team 1 |
| Coordinates |
42° 28' 39'' Latitude
-122° 36' 11
'' Longitude
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| Total Personnel: | 1056 |
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| Size | 4,102 Acres |
| Percent of Perimeter Contained | 58% |
| Estimated Containment Date | 07/24/2024 |
| Fuels Involved | Timber (Grass and Understory) and brush (2 feet). Briefings were focused on heat and thunderstorm chances given the potential impacts today from both of these hazards. It was noted that thunderstorm chances were much greater to the east of the Cascades. This notable heatwave continues to impact the Salt Creek Fire. Forecast temperatures today around 100 degrees resulted in another Heat Advisory with some lower elevations closer to 105 degrees. Humidity values continue to be dry around 20% during peak heating. Wind speeds were very similar today as they have been with speeds roughly around 5-10 mph with occasional gusts to around 15 mph. Sheltered areas have been reporting speeds of 5 mph or less. Thunderstorms could be seen in the distance this afternoon with cloud cover increasing. |
| Significant Events | Minimal, Isolated Torching, Creeping, Backing As crews transitioned into mop up the majority of the fire behavior is smoldering and isolated to the heavy fuels and stump holes. With indicies at or near records there is still a possibility to see some isolated flareups on interior green islands. |
| Planned Actions |
DIV A: Mop-up 300 feet from perimeter. Ensure all line is patrolled. Locate, identify, and mitigate hazard trees. Be prepared to provide initial attack resources if requested. DIV F: Locate, identify, and mitigate hazard trees. Ensure all line is patrolled. Mop-up 300 feet from perimeter. Be prepared to provide initial attack resources if requested. DIV W: Mop-up 150 feet from perimeter. Ensure all line is patrolled. Locate, identify, and mitigate hazard trees. Be prepared to provide initial attack resources if requested. DIV Z: Locate, identify, and mitigate hazard trees. Mop-up 300 feet from perimeter. Ensure all line is patrolled. Be prepared to provide Initial Attack resources if requested. |
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| Projected Incident Activity |
12 hours: Fire behavior is not expected to be a concern. Spread potential remains minimal along the perimeter of the fire. There are pockets of unburned fuel within the perimeter that will continue to produce smoke through the next few days. 24 hours: Fire behavior is not expected to be a concern. Spread potential remains minimal along the perimeter of the fire. There are pockets of unburned fuel within the perimeter that will continue to produce smoke through the next few days. 48 hours: Mop up operations will continue to be the primary operational objective. 72 hours: Mop up operations will continue to be the primary operational objective. |
| Weather Concerns | Distant thunderstorms over northern California developed Saturday afternoon and brought clouds over the fire which resulted in warmer overnight temperatures and moderate RH recoveries Sunday morning. These clouds ended up regulating temperatures throughout the afternoon and we ended up cooler than the last few days, but only by a few degrees as we were still warm in the 90s. RH values this afternoon were slightly higher than previous days thanks to the clouds but still on the drier side (20-25%). Sunday night is expected to see moderate overnight recoveries. Wind speeds will also be light and variable. Monday will be hotter with temperatures again close to 100 degrees. The chance for thunderstorms on Monday has been increasing the last 48 hours, land this trend may continue into tomorrow (Monday). We are currently at a 30% chance for thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon. |
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