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Red Flag Warning signals hot, dry and windy conditions, firefighters continue to hold lines

MITCHELL, Ore. – Resources assigned to the Shoe Fly Fire faced another challenging day on the line. Hot temperatures and low relative humidity were present once again, naturally increasing fire behavior. Firefighters continued to work on corralling the southwest portion of the fire, which has been the most active area for the past couple of shifts. New lines were added today, which will be tested with incoming windy weather. Tonight, firefighters will continue to work on connecting new lines with existing ones around the main body of the fire. 

Across the rest of the incident, progress continues to be made. The northeast corner is another active area where spot fires have been observed in the last 48 hours. Firefighters worked today to line and mop up these areas. 

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect through Saturday night at 7 p.m. for hot, dry and unstable conditions across the fire area. A slight chance of thunderstorms is also in the forecast, which may bring cooler temperatures, minimal rain showers and windy conditions. These conditions may allow for opportunities to make progress across the fire, and firefighters will be looking to take advantage if favorable conditions allow. 

Command of the Two Cabin Fire has been transferred to Oregon Department of Forestry Team 2, Incident Commander Howard, as of 6 p.m. Friday night as one of four fires in the Fossil Complex. ODF Team 1 continued to support firefighters on this incident prior to the transfer, and all lines were held and strengthened throughout the day. Future updates will be available on the Fossil Complex Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fossilcomplexfire. 

Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act today, which enabled the Oregon State Fire Marshal to send an Incident Management Team to the neighboring Rail Ridge Fire and an additional task force to the Shoe Fly Fire to provide structural protection. This task force will bring the total to three on this incident; they have been working under the Wheeler County Fire Defense Board Chief and are now integrated with ODF Team 1. The new task force will be working night shift tonight, and the two task forces that have been on the fire will continue to work day shifts. 

Late Thursday, the Wheeler County Sheriff changed evacuation levels around the fire to provide for public safety. Evacuation notices for residents around the fire continue to be evaluated by the Wheeler County Sheriff, Wheeler County Fire Defense Board Chief, and Team 1 Operations personnel. More information on current evacuations is available at https://tinyurl.com/RAPTOR-Evacuation-Info

While there are no current road closures due to the Shoe Fly or Two Cabin fires, other fires nearby may be impacting travel. Check https://tripcheck.com/ for current closures and potential delays.