Single Publication

Oregon Fire Morning Update for August 26, 2023

Size:    11,021 acres                                 

Start Date:  18 August 2023, 1600hrs 

Point of origin: Under Investigation 

Containment: 33% 

Cause: Under Investigation 

Total personnel: 990 

Resources: 69 engines l 24 crews l 10 bulldozers l 19 water tenders l 4 helicopters l 4 Skidgens 

Current Situation: 24 hour operations continue as firefighting efforts to fully suppress the fire and protect properties. Activities within the fire permitter is shifting towards mop up and suppression repair while still focusing on structure protection and containment line improvement. Damage assessments completed to date have unfortunately identified 126 primary residences and 258 outbuildings (sheds, barns, pump houses, etc) destroyed by the Oregon Fire. 

Today’s activities: Planned actions in the north and east flank of the fire perimeter will focus on fire line improvement and mop-up using hand crews. Mop up activities on this flank will be augmented by the use of specialty equipment to access steep terrain. Firefighters in the south and west flank will focus on suppression repair and mop up of the fire perimeter. The hard work of fire crews performing fire suppression around property, damage assessments and mop up has contributed to the lowering of evacuation levels. The public is cautioned to remain vigilant to post wildfire hazards when returning to their property and evaluating potential damage to their structures and property. As the focus shifts from direct fire suppression to mop up and suppression repair activities, fire resources will be released as appropriate to respond to other needs in the region. 

Evacuations: All evacuation zones for Spokane and Pend Oreille county for the Oregon Fire remain at Level 1 or Level 2. There are currently no Level 3 evacuation zones. See attached map. Updated evacuation maps of Spokane County are available at www.facebook.com/GEGEmergencyMgt and for evacuation maps of Pend Oreille County at www.facebook.com/pocsheriff. NOTE: Evacuation levels continue to change. Be sure to reference official county evacuation information/levels for the latest situation. Spokane County has a new tool for pin-pointing your address and its corresponding evacuation status: https://arcg.is/1z98v10. 

Weather: Clearing skies will allow a lot more sunshine to warm temperatures back up. Temperatures will be in the high 80s to lower 90s. Lower humidity can also be expected for Saturday and Sunday with readings of 20-25% forecasted. Winds will also be from the Northeast and less than 10mph. As a result fire behavior could be expected to increase.  

Smoke Outlook: Washington State Department of Ecology has up to date air quality information at: enviwa.ecology.wa.gov/home/map. 

Fire Information:(509) 508-3323 (8:00am – 8:00pm)       Email: 2023.oregon@firenet.gov 

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/newfireinfo          Inciweb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/wanes-oregon-fire