Single Publication

Willamette Complex South & Red Fire Update

Red, 208, Moss Mountain, Coffee Pot, Tire Mountain, McKinley Creek and Chalk Fires

Date: Friday, September 13, 2024                                       Fire Causes: Lightning

Email: 2024.willamettecomplex@firenet.gov                        Information Phone Line: 541-208-1742

Willamette Complex South:             Total Personnel: 626  |  Total Willamette Complex South Acres: 23,197

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orwif-willamette-complex-fires-south

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WillametteComplexFires/

Red Fire: Total Personnel: 70  |  Total Red Fire Acres: 1,732

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ordef-red-fire

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2024RedFireOR/

Summary

Today’s operations will concentrate on the completion of primary control lines to limit fire impacts to the identified values at risk. As Incident Commander, John Szulc stated, “We’re going to move with purpose.” Backhaul operations continue on the Moss Mountain, Coffee Pot, and Chalk fires, focusing on the removal of unused hoses and supplies. Where conditions permit, snagging, brush pile removal, and the maintenance of secondary and interior roads remain priorities.

Red Fire (1,732 acres, 0% containment)

Firefighters continue constructing shaded fuel breaks, removing smaller trees and underbrush while leaving larger, more fire resistant trees in place. All deployed structure protection equipment will continue to be checked and maintained in the event of unforeseen changes in fire behavior. As temperatures drop and the forecast predicts more moisture, resource needs in this area are being reevaluated while focusing on actions to minimize acres burned.

208 Fire (8,843 acres, 0% containment)
The fire growth towards Fire Service Road (FSR) 23 Road in the northwest and FSR 21 and 2154 in the south. Crews are actively reinforcing these roads to complete a fireline from FSR 23 to FSR 423. The objective is to connect this line with the existing fireline from the Moss Mountain Fire.

Moss Mountain Fire (2,133 acres, 8% containment)

Primary and contingency lines along FSR 23, 2120, 490, and 2309 are being reinforced and patrolled for changes in fire behavior. Crews continue to strengthen firelines by removing excess slash and other vegetation from these control features.

Chalk Fire (5,987 acres, 86% containment) 

Firefighters are actively monitoring and improving containment lines on the south, east, and north sides of the fire. On the west side, crews are enhancing firelines along FSR 1912 and connecting them back to the fireline on FSR 1925. Monitoring of the unburned fuel island on the northwest side of the fire is ongoing.

Weather and Fire Behavior

Yesterday, skies stayed mostly cloudy, keeping relative humidity high in the area. The fires within the complex showed minimal growth. Looking ahead, a low-pressure system is expected to bring increased cloudiness and moisture tomorrow through early next week. Continued high humidity and the cooling trend should sustain the current creeping and smoldering fire behavior.

Closures, Fire Restrictions, and Evacuations

• For closure information, visit: https://tinyurl.com/RedFireClosues2024 & https://tinyurl.com/WillFireClosures2024.
• For fire restrictions, visit: https://tinyurl.com/DesFireRestrictions2024 & https://tinyurl.com/WillFireRestrictions2024.
• For current Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR), visit: http://tfr.faa.gov.
• The Level 1 – BE READY to Evacuate notice remains in effect for the Red Fire. For more information or to sign up for alerts, visit: www.klamathcounty.org/300/emergency-management.