Windigo-Potter-Big Swamp-Shelter Fires Update – August 13, 2022

Fire Information Phone: 206-473-8645 (8am - 7pm)  |  Email: 2022.Windigo@firenet.gov

Potter Fire (& Shelter) InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8291/

Windigo Fire InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8292/

Big Swamp InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8323/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Windigo-Fire-and-Potter-Fire-Information-109233838550715

Weather conditions continued the pattern that has produced cooler temperatures and calmer winds on Friday, which allowed firefighters to improve lines on all fires. On the Windigo Fire, crews worked to achieve 100-foot mop operations on the perimeter of the fire, maintaining containment at 40%. The focus for today’s operations will be to secure fire lines with mop up operations in the Windigo Butte area.

Firefighters will continue to perform strategic firing operations on the Potter Fire today, aiming to control fire growth, allowing firefighters to further strengthen fire lines. Mop up operations will continue around the perimeter, looking to reach 100-foot depths as feasible.

The Big Swamp Fire is currently at 120 acres. Crews will continue to reinforce lines along the south and east flanks of the fire and use direct fire operations where possible, aiming to reinforce lines on the east and southern flanks of the fire.

Resources on the fires include 901 total personnel comprised of 27 handcrews, 23 engines, 11 dozers, 12 water tenders, eight Type 1 Helicopters, two Type 3 Helicopters and two fixed-wing scoopers.

Temperatures will be in the 78-84 degrees range today. Varying winds, from the northwest and west, will flow across the fire area with speeds between 4-8 mph and gusts of up to 15 mph on ridge tops today. Fire spotting distances may be up to .3 miles with a 50-75% chance of ignition on the dry fuels. Visit AirNow.gov for smoke information.

Windigo Fire
Acreage: Approx. 1,007 acres
Containment: 40%
Location: 20 mi SW of La Pine, OR
Cause: Lightning

Potter Fire
Acreage: Approx. 371 acres       
Containment: 0%
Location: 8 mi NE of Toketee Lake 
Cause: Lightning

Big Swamp
Acreage: Approx. 120 acres       
Containment: 0%
Location: 6.5 mi N of Lemolo Lake
Cause: Lightning

Closures: For firefighter and public safety follow the Big Swamp, Windigo, and Potter Fires.

·       Additional Potter Fire Road Closure: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices

·       Pacific Crest Trail – visit https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/closures/oregon/ for more information.

Smoke Outlook 8/13-8/14/2022
Current Smoke Outlook for Central Oregon (airfire.org) 

Fire
The Windigo Fire is 1007 acres with 40% containment. The Potter Fire grew by 26 acres and is now 371 acres with 0% containment. The Big Swamp Fire remains at 119 acres with 0% containment. No change in fire behavior is expected today. For additional information, see Windigo Fire, Potter Fire, and Big Swamp Fire.
 
Smoke
Smoke production was a little less yesterday and it dispersed more readily. However, the Cedar Creek is generating some smoke already this morning, but for the most part should drift NW this morning and then back east to southeast into the Deschutes River basin late this afternoon and evening. If smoke production is similar to yesterday then air quality (AQ) should only just barely reach Moderate levels for a few hours in the Deschutes River basin. The California smoke has been shunted eastward away from the southern portion of the Outlook area due to a more southwesterly flow aloft. Improved air quality with less hazy condition are expected across Diamond Lake and Crater Lake today and Sunday.

Windigo-Potter-Big Swamp-Shelter Fires Update – August 12, 2022

Fire Information Phone: 206-473-8645 (8am - 7pm)  |  Email: 2022.Windigo@firenet.gov

Potter Fire (& Shelter) InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8291/

Windigo Fire InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8292/

Big Swamp InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8323/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Windigo-Fire-and-Potter-Fire-Information-109233838550715

For firefighter and public safety, a closure order has been established around the Big Swamp Fire perimeter. For Big Swamp, Windigo, and Potter fire closure orders and maps visit http://go.usa.gov/xSGhh.

The trend of calmer winds and cooler temperatures continued through the day on Thursday, allowing firefighters to improve lines on all fires. On the Windigo Fire, firefighters worked to increase mop up depth 100 feet from the containment line.

Strategic firing operations will continue today on the Potter Fire as favorable conditions arise on the eastern and northern flanks of the fire, with the intent of preventing fire growth to either the west or south of the fire. Mop up operations will continue around the perimeter.

The Big Swamp Fire is at 121 acres following yesterday’s operations. Aviation resources supported crews as they worked to secure the fire line. Today’s operations will see firefighters continuing to find opportunities to go direct on portions of the fire, to prevent any eastward spread of the fire, while securing lines and conducting mop up operations.

Resources on the fires include 963 total personnel comprised of 29 handcrews, 26 engines, 16 dozers, 16 water tenders, nine Type 1 Helicopters, two Type 3 Helicopters and two fixed-wing scoopers.

Temperatures will be in the 78-to-84 degrees range today. Westerly winds will flow across the fire area with speeds between 6-8 mph and gusts of up to 15 mph on ridge tops this morning, with a shift in the afternoon to flows from the northwest. Fire spotting distances may be up to .3 miles with a 50-75% chance of ignition on the dry fuels. Visit AirNow.gov for smoke information.

Windigo Fire
Acreage: Approx. 1,007 acres
Containment: 40%
Location: 20 mi SW of La Pine
Cause: Lightning

Potter Fire
Acreage: Approx. 345 acres       
Containment: 0%
Location: 8 mi NE of Toketee Lake 
Cause: Lightning

Big Swamp
Acreage: Approx. 121 acres       
Containment: 0%
Location: 6.5 mi N of Lemolo Lake
Cause: Lightning

Closures: For firefighter and public safety follow the Big Swamp, Windigo, and Potter Fires.

·       Pacific Crest Trail – visit https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/closures/oregon/ for more information.

Big Swamp Fire Closure Order http://go.usa.gov/xSGhh

Smoke Outlook 8/12-8/13/2022  

Fire The Windigo Fire has been remapped at 1007 acres with 40% containment. The Potter Fire grew by 29 acres and is now at 345 acres with 0% containment. The Big Swamp Fire grew by 2 acres and is now 121 acres with 0% containment. An uptick in fire behavior is expected today. For additional information, see Windigo Fire, Potter Fire, and Big Swamp Fire.
  Smoke An increase in smoke production occurred yesterday and another uptick in smoke production is expected today. Smoke from Cedar Creek fire hung close to the ground yesterday so when the diurnal wind shift to west northwest occurred late afternoon, this smoke spread over the Crest and eastward into the Deschutes valley from last evening through the overnight hours. This pattern lead to a couple of sites registering Moderate AQ for the 24 hr period with several more sites already in Moderate AQ this morning. A similar pattern is forecast today with perhaps a slight improvement for Saturday. The California smoke was less of a player this morning, but still made its presence known with a few hours of Moderate AQ observed at Crater Lake and Diamond Lake. These areas should have slightly better AQ today, although Diamond Lake could be impacted by additional smoke from the Potter Fire.

 Smoke Outlook 8/11-8/12/2022

Fire
The Windigo Fire has been remapped at 1008 acres with 25% containment. The Potter Fire is at 314 acres with 0% containment. The Big Swamp Fire is 119 acres with 0% containment. Similar fire behavior to yesterday is expected today. For additional information, see Potter Fire and Windigo Fire.

Smoke
Very little smoke was generated yesterday between all of the fires within the Smoke Outlook area. What little there was, drifted mainly into the Deschutes River valley from about Sunriver northward to Redmond resulting in some Moderate air quality (AQ) this morning. However, overall Good AQ is forecast for these areas as well as elsewhere today based on expected minimal fire behavior. As mentioned yesterday there was concern for California smoke to move over the region today. That did happen and surprisingly it was low enough in the atmosphere to create Moderate AQ at Crater Lake, Diamond Lake, and Crescent Lake this morning. The smoke will dissipate this morning resulting in Good AQ today into this evening, but with SSW winds aloft remaining over the area tonight, Moderate AQ is expected once again in these locations.

Windigo-Potter-Big Swamp-Shelter Fires Update – August 11, 2022

Fire Information Phone: 206-473-8645 (8am - 7pm)  |  Email: 2022.Windigo@firenet.gov

Potter Fire (& Shelter) InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8291/

Windigo Fire (& Big Swamp) InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8292/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Windigo-Fire-and-Potter-Fire-Information-109233838550715

With heavy hearts we share that wildland firefighter, Collin Hagan of the Craig Interagency Hotshots, was killed yesterday after sustaining critical injuries from being struck by a tree while engaged in firefighting efforts on the Big Swamp fire 26 miles southeast of Oakridge, Oregon, on the Willamette National Forest.

Cooler temperatures prevailed throughout the fire on Wednesday, helping crews make progress on all fires. On the Windigo Fire, firefighters searched for and removed heat along the perimeter of the fire with mop up ranging from 50 to 100 feet in depth. Today, crews will continue mop up operations around Windigo Pass as they strive to secure the fire.

Today’s anticipated favorable conditions on the Potter Fire will provide firefighters an opportunity to perform strategic firing operations on the eastern and northern flanks of the fire later in the day. Crews will continue mop up operations and improve fire lines. Strategic firing operations are used to control and secure the perimeter of the fire. Firefighters employ drones and/or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) as a burnout tool by dropping plastic sphere dispensers (PSD) that start fires in desired locations to stop the advancing wildfire.

The Big Swamp Fire is at 119 acres following yesterday’s operations. Crews continued to secure line with support from aviation resources. Today’s operations will see firefighters continuing to find opportunities to go direct on portions of the fire, securing lines and conducting mop up operations.

Resources on the fires include 810 total personnel comprised of 23 handcrews, 24 engines, 10 dozers, 12 water tenders, nine Type 1 Helicopters, and one Type 3 Helicopter and two fixed-wing scoopers.

Temperatures will reach 79-84 degrees today. Winds will flow from the south with speeds between 5-10 mph and gusts of up to 15 mph on ridge tops this morning, with a shift in the afternoon to flows from the west. Fire spotting distances may be up to .3 miles with a 50-80% chance of ignition on the dry fuels. Visit AirNow.gov for smoke information.

Windigo Fire
Acreage: Approx. 1,008 acres
Containment: 25%
Location: 20 mi SW of La Pine, OR
Cause: Lightning

Potter Fire
Acreage: Approx. 314 acres       
Containment: 0%
Location: 8 mi NE of Toketee Lake 
Cause: Lightning

Big Swamp
Acreage: Approx. 119 acres       
Containment: 0%
Location: 6.5 mi N of Lemolo Lake
Cause: Lightning

Closures: For firefighter and public safety follow the Windigo and Potter Closure Orders.

Fire Information Phone: 206-473-8645 (8am - 7pm)  |  Email: 2022.Windigo@firenet.gov

Potter Fire (& Shelter) InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8291/

Windigo Fire (& Big Swamp) InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8292/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Windigo-Fire-and-Potter-Fire-Information-109233838550715

With heavy hearts we share that wildland firefighter, Collin Hagan of the Craig Interagency Hotshots, was killed yesterday after sustaining critical injuries from being struck by a tree while engaged in firefighting efforts on the Big Swamp fire 26 miles southeast of Oakridge, Oregon, on the Willamette National Forest.

Cooler temperatures prevailed throughout the fire on Wednesday, helping crews make progress on all fires. On the Windigo Fire, firefighters searched for and removed heat along the perimeter of the fire with mop up ranging from 50 to 100 feet in depth. Today, crews will continue mop up operations around Windigo Pass as they strive to secure the fire.

Today’s anticipated favorable conditions on the Potter Fire will provide firefighters an opportunity to perform strategic firing operations on the eastern and northern flanks of the fire later in the day. Crews will continue mop up operations and improve fire lines. Strategic firing operations are used to control and secure the perimeter of the fire. Firefighters employ drones and/or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) as a burnout tool by dropping plastic sphere dispensers (PSD) that start fires in desired locations to stop the advancing wildfire.

The Big Swamp Fire is at 119 acres following yesterday’s operations. Crews continued to secure line with support from aviation resources. Today’s operations will see firefighters continuing to find opportunities to go direct on portions of the fire, securing lines and conducting mop up operations.

Resources on the fires include 810 total personnel comprised of 23 handcrews, 24 engines, 10 dozers, 12 water tenders, nine Type 1 Helicopters, and one Type 3 Helicopter and two fixed-wing scoopers.

Temperatures will reach 79-84 degrees today. Winds will flow from the south with speeds between 5-10 mph and gusts of up to 15 mph on ridge tops this morning, with a shift in the afternoon to flows from the west. Fire spotting distances may be up to .3 miles with a 50-80% chance of ignition on the dry fuels. Visit AirNow.gov for smoke information.

Windigo Fire
Acreage: Approx. 1,008 acres
Containment: 25%
Location: 20 mi SW of La Pine, OR
Cause: Lightning

Potter Fire
Acreage: Approx. 314 acres       
Containment: 0%
Location: 8 mi NE of Toketee Lake 
Cause: Lightning

Big Swamp
Acreage: Approx. 119 acres       
Containment: 0%
Location: 6.5 mi N of Lemolo Lake
Cause: Lightning

Closures: For firefighter and public safety follow the Windigo and Potter Closure Orders.

Wildland Firefighter Killed on Big Swamp Fire near Oakridge, Ore.

Willamette National Forest - August 11, 2022

With heavy hearts we share that wildland firefighter, Collin Hagan of the Craig Interagency Hotshots, was killed yesterday after sustaining critical injuries from being struck by a tree while engaged in firefighting efforts on the Big Swamp fire near Oakridge, Ore. on the Willamette National Forest.

The Bureau of Land Management firefighter was assigned from Colorado. A Serious Accident Investigation Team is being assembled.

“We are devastated by the tragic loss of a cherished firefighter working on our forest to save our communities and beloved recreational areas,” said Duane Bishop, Acting Forest Supervisor on the Willamette National Forest. “Their family has been notified and we are working with our partners to ensure the crew is well taken care of. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and fellow crew members of this brave firefighter.”

Additional information will be released when appropriate. Media can send inquiries to Public Information Officer Jennifer O'Leary at jennifer.o'leary@usda.gov. 

Wildland Firefighter Killed on Big Swamp Fire near Oakridge, Ore.

Willamette National Forest - August 11, 2022

With heavy hearts we share that wildland firefighter, Collin Hagan of the Craig Interagency Hotshots, was killed yesterday after sustaining critical injuries from being struck by a tree while engaged in firefighting efforts on the Big Swamp fire near Oakridge, Ore. on the Willamette National Forest.

The Bureau of Land Management firefighter was assigned from Colorado. A Serious Accident Investigation Team is being assembled.

“We are devastated by the tragic loss of a cherished firefighter working on our forest to save our communities and beloved recreational areas,” said Duane Bishop, Acting Forest Supervisor on the Willamette National Forest. “Their family has been notified and we are working with our partners to ensure the crew is well taken care of. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and fellow crew members of this brave firefighter.”

Additional information will be released when appropriate. Media can send inquiries to Public Information Officer Jennifer O'Leary at jennifer.o'leary@usda.gov. 

Windigo-Potter-Big Swamp-Shelter Fires Update – August 10, 2022

Fire Information Phone: 206-473-8645 (8am - 7pm)  |  Email: 2022.Windigo@firenet.gov

Potter Fire (& Shelter) InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8291/

Windigo Fire (& Big Swamp) InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8292/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Windigo-Fire-and-Potter-Fire-Information-109233838550715

Cooler temperatures and calmer winds were present across the fires Tuesday. Light showers and thunderstorms moved through the area, resulting in minor amounts of precipitation. Progress was made on all fires. Crews on the Windigo Fire strengthened line around the entire perimeter yesterday, increasing the mop up depth to 100 feet in some portions. Today, they will work on mop up operations to secure the line around the fire.

Firefighters on the Potter Fire expect to perform strategic firing operations on the eastern and northern flanks of the fire later in the day, as well as, continue mop up operations and improve fire lines. Strategic firing operations are used to control and secure the perimeter of the fire. Firefighters employ drones and/or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) as a burnout tool by dropping plastic sphere dispensers (PSD) that start fires in desired locations to stop the advancing wildfire.

The Big Swamp Fire is at 117 acres following yesterday’s operations. Crews continued to secure line with support from aviation resources. Today, firefighters will work to find opportunities to go direct on portions of the fire, secure lines and conduct mop up operations.

Resources on the fires include 791 total personnel comprised of 13 handcrews, 24 engines, 11 dozers, 12 water tenders, nine Type 1 Helicopters, and one Type 3 Helicopter. Two fixed-wing scoopers are available out of Eugene.

Temperatures will reach 75-80 degrees today. Southwest winds with speeds between 5-10 mph and gusts of up to 20 mph on ridge tops are expected. Fire spotting distances may be up to .25 - .4 miles with a 45-75% chance of ignition on the dry fuels. Visit AirNow.gov for smoke information.

Windigo Fire
Acreage: Approx. 1,009 acres            
Containment: 25%
Location: 20 miles southwest of La Pine, OR
Cause: Lightning

Potter Fire
Acreage: Approx. 306 acres  
Containment: 0%
Location: 8 miles northeast of Toketee Lake 
Cause: Lightning

Closures: For firefighter and public safety follow the Windigo and Potter Closure Orders.

·       Pacific Crest Trail – visit https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/closures/oregon/ for more information.

·       Forest Service Road (FSR) 60 from the junction with FSR 6020 on the Deschutes National Forest to FSR 2612 on the Umpqua National Forest

·       Forest Service Road (FSR) 2610 from Lemolo Dam to Calapooya Mountain