Single Publication

Little Yamsay Fire Update- May 11, 2024  

Fire Information: 971-978-7899 

Email: 2024.littleyamsay@firenet.gov 

Size: 3,278 acres  Location: 15 miles southeast of Chemult, OR near Klamath Marsh 

Start Date: Detected April 20, 2024  Cause: Lightning  Total Personnel: 106 

Crews: 3  Engines: 5  Heavy Equipment: 3  Water Tenders: 3 

Firing operations took a pause on Friday while crews ensured phases one and two are secured and will remain within control lines. Saturday, firing operations are planned to continue for phase three, in which firefighters are looking to complete 2,000 more acres of treatment. These operations will keep promoting low-intensity fire that consumes ground and ladder fuels.  

However, smoke may be visible off of Highway 97 and in the surrounding communities. Please adhere to signs along the roadway and drive slowly when travelling along the Silver Lake Highway near the fire area. Smoke will tend to settle in the evenings and may be present along roadways in the mornings.  

Upon completion of all phases of the Little Yamsay Fire, in combination with the footprint of the 2023 Dillon Creek Fire to the north, there will be a nearly 10,000-acre buffer of treated land off of the Silver Lake Highway. This treated land will more closely resemble its historic form, with a reduction in woody ground debris, more widely spaced large pines, and less of a chance for future ground fire to travel into the forest canopy. 

Reintroducing fire to a fire adapted landscape, in the right place at the right time, will be a key component moving forward to restore the health of forests in the western United States. The condition of forests outside of a natural fire regime is outlined in the Wildfire Crisis Strategy. As read in the document, deprived of fire for far too long, many fire-adapted western forests are in poor and declining health. Degraded and overgrown, many are prone to disastrous wildfires that threaten lives, homes, communities, and natural resources. Counterintuitively, less regular fire over the last 100 years has resulted in larger, more destructive wildfires. One way to begin the reversal process is to tactically utilize an early season natural ignition source to expand a fire’s footprint before conditions are too hot and dry. 

There are no closures or evacuations for the Little Yamsay Fire. Residents and visitors traveling to the area are encouraged to drive responsibly as emergency firefighter vehicles will be present. Expect delays as traffic control may be implemented due to smoke and/or hazards. 

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