Single Publication

RED FIRE DAILY UPDATE  

Wednesday, August 14, 2024  

541-208-1766, 2024.red@firenet.gov  

https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ordef-red-fire https://www.facebook.com/2024RedFireOR/   

 Size: 659 acres   Location: 5 miles west of Crescent Lake Junction, OR   County: Klamath Start Date: July 17, 2024   Cause: Lightning   Containment: 0%   Total Personnel: 267  

Crescent, OR – The Red Fire is burning within the Diamond Peak Wilderness of the Deschutes National Forest, on the southwest slope of Redtop Mountain. The fire is being managed under a full suppression strategy. Public and firefighter safety is the highest priority in managing this fire.  

Yesterday’s Activities – Crews spent the day refining and strengthening all structure protection points and sprinkler kits near the Crescent Lake Summer Homes along Forest Service Road 60. The limited resources available required heavy equipment to rotate around the fire and assist with chipping and dragging of downed trees and woody debris along the shaded fuel break. Given the shortage of resources, firefighters from Australia were deployed to help fill key overhead positions on the fire. 

Today’s Activities – Resources from Australia will step into their leadership rolls on the fire today. Heavy equipment will continue to rotate around the fire assisting with critical missions such as chipping and dragging of downed trees and woody debris, in different phases along the shaded fuel break. Scouts will continue to identify areas where crews can safely be inserted to engage the fire directly when they arrive. Testing of sprinklers and refinement of defensible areas will continue. 

Weather and Smoke. Sunny weather, moderate temperatures for the season, and continued light winds at 5 to 10 mph are expected for tomorrow during the day. Starting tomorrow night a fire weather watch is in effect through Thursday evening due to potential thunderstorms. Burning will be moderate to slow across most of the fire today.  Air quality information can be found at https://fire.airnow.gov/.  

Closures – The Deschutes National Forest has implemented an emergency closure around  

Crescent Lake and in the Diamond Peak Wilderness. The public should note that Forest Service Road 60 is closed, and road guards have been posted for public safety. More closure information is available at: https://www.fsa.gov/alerts/deschutes/alerts-notices/?aid=89091   

Evacuations – The WILDFIRE! Level 1 – BE READY to Evacuate notice issued by Klamath County Emergency Management for the Crescent Lake, Odell Lake, and Crescent Junction areas remains in effect (INCENDIO FORESTAL! Nivel 1 - ESTÉ PREPARADO para evacuar de las siguientes zonas: Crescent Lake, Odell Lake, Crescent Junction). Visit www.klamathcounty.org/300/emergency-management for more information or to sign up for alerts.  

Fire Restrictions – Stage 2 Public Use Fire Restrictions – which prohibit open fires, including in developed campgrounds – are in effect for the Deschutes National Forest. The Industrial Fire Precaution Level is currently Level IV “General Shutdown.” Visit fs.usda.gov/detail/deschutes/home/?cid=stelprdb5297376 for more information.  

Drone Restrictions – A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the Red Fire area. Unauthorized drone (UAS) flights pose serious risks to fire personnel and the effectiveness of wildfire suppression operations. Aerial firefighting is suspended when unauthorized UAS are in the area. If you fly, we can’t.