Single Publication

Diamond Complex

• Size: 11,141 acres
• Containment: 81%
• Personnel: 935
• Location: 18 miles SW of Chemult, OR
• Start Date: July 19, 2024
• Cause: Undetermined

Middle Fork Fire

• Size: 5,286 acres
• Containment: 58% 
• Personnel: 51
• Location: Crater Lake National Park
• Start Date: July 17, 2024
• Cause: Undetermined

Visitor and Firefighter Safety, Fire Restrictions and Closures

The North Entrance to Crater Lake National Park is closed to all traffic to allow Middle Fork Fire-related hazard reduction work to resume. It will open on Friday afternoon. The park remains open and can be accessed through the South Entrance.

Drivers on Hwy. 230 on the park’s northwest side should be especially cautious. Firefighters are using heavy equipment to remove downed and dead wood in this area. Slow down when approaching firefighter activity. Avoid accidents by driving carefully. Please be patient, minimize distractions and stay focused. 

For your safety and ours, do not enter closed areas. Barriers may not block entire roadways to allow for firefighter traffic. However, do not drive around barriers. Areas are closed because of fire activity, falling trees, heavy equipment and road grading. Entering closed areas endangers drivers and firefighters and disrupts important fire-related work.  

The Umpqua and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests and Crater Lake National Park have different fire restrictions in place. Crater Lake National Park has a fire ban whereas the national forests have Level 2 fire restrictions. Know where you are and follow information posted on their websites.

• Crater Lake National Park: https://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm
• Umpqua National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/umpqua
• Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-siskiyou

Current Fire Situation

The warmer, drier weather is intensifying fire activity. However, firefighters increased containment on the Diamond Complex to 81% and on the Middle Fork Fire to 58%. Crews are continuing work to secure the edges of all fires and prepare for and repair areas disturbed by suppression activities. An uncrewed aircraft system (UAS or drone) with infrared capability is being flown over all fires to identify remaining hot spots. 

Middle Fork Fire

Firefighters continued to eliminate heat on the fire’s north and east sides. Most heat is well interior where snags present a serious hazard to firefighter safety. Crews continue suppression repair and hauling timber cut during suppression operations along Hwy. 230. 

Diamond Complex

• Pine Bench Fire (north of Hwy. 138 near Dry Creek, 3,976 acres, 66% contained): On Tuesday, infrared maps showed no heat indicating firefighters’ successful work. Crews are removing structure protection and excess equipment. They are also repairing areas disturbed by suppression activities. 
• Potter Fire (north of Hwy. 138, 2 miles southeast of Potter Mountain, 3,428 acres, 55% contained): Firefighters continue to find heat in heavy duff on the fire’s east side. Helicopters dropped water to cool interior heat where hazard trees prevent ground access. This heat is well inside the current fire footprint and is not a containment threat. Firefighters continue to patrol and secure the fire’s edge. On the southwest side, due to concerns about the possibility of fire moving into dead timber within an old fire scar, crews began using a masticator to create a fuel break.
• Lemolo Fire (north of Lemolo Lake, 1,246 acres, 100% contained): The fire is still showing heat, especially in stumps, big logs and needle cast, but it is well inside the current fire footprint and is not a threat to containment. Firefighters continue to mop up, patrol and monitor. 
• Ooya Fire (east of Bug Lake, 373 acres, 100% contained): The fire is still showing heat, but it is well inside the current fire footprint and is not a threat to containment. Crews will patrol and monitor.
• Trail Fire (east of Diamond Lake, 842 acres, 100% contained): Firefighters detected some heat that they worked to eliminate. Crews also began preparing for suppression repair.

Weather and Fire Behavior        

Wednesday was the beginning of three days of above normal temperatures and dry conditions which will increase fire activity. Relative humidity fell into the teens and high temperatures hit the low 90s on Wednesday. Near-record heat is expected on Thursday with high temperatures well above normal for Friday as well. Thunderstorms are possible Friday night into Saturday. Sunday and Monday are expected to be seasonably dry and cooler. 

Smoke Outlook

Air quality is expected to improve. For more information, visit outlooks.airfire.org/outlook and fire.airnow.gov.

Forest Closure and Fire Restrictions

Umpqua National Forest has decreased Public Use Restrictions to Level 2. The forest remains in High Fire Danger and Industrial Fire Precaution Levels are at Level 2. For more information, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices/?aid=88996. 

Umpqua National Forest’s current closure order allows access to specific roads, trails and campgrounds, which are listed as exemptions in Forest Order 06-15-24-07. For more information, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umpqua/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1202210.

A closure is in place on Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest for the area north and west of Crater Lake National Park along Hwy. 230 south to the intersection with Hwy. 62. The closure order and a map are available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/rogue-siskiyou/alerts-notices.

Park Closure and Fire Restrictions

Crater Lake National Park remains open. However, several closures are in effect. For details, visit  https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/conditions.htm.

The North Entrance to the park is closed to all traffic to allow hazard reduction work related to the Middle Fork Fire to continue. It will reopen on Friday afternoon. The park can be accessed through the South Entrance. 

Know before you go. Check the latest conditions and road status before you arrive at your destination to ensure a smooth, enjoyable visit. Updates are available on the park website at https://www.nps.gov/crla and on Oregon Tripcheck at https://www.tripcheck.com.

REMINDER: The Pacific Crest Trail between the Lightning Springs and Rim Trail Intersections, Bald Crater Loop, Bert Creek and Boundary Springs Trails are closed until further notice due to potentially hazardous conditions created by the Middle Fork Fire. Hikers and bikers may not use the North Entrance Road to enter or leave Crater Lake National Park.

Temporary flight restrictions (TFRs)

TFRs are in place over the Middle Fork Fire https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_8387.html (6 a.m. to 9 a.m. local time to accommodate unmanned aircraft systems work) and https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_7055.html (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time). TFRs are also in place over the Potter and Pine Bench Fires https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_7055.html (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time).