Lakeview, OR – Crews continue to make progress on the Fox Complex fires. This evening crews started a small burnout operation along the northern line of the Patton Meadow Fire beginning the process of “black lining” in the steep, rocky terrain. They will continue burnout operations along the northern perimeter as weather conditions allow.

While a small spot fire was discovered and extinguished on the south end of the fire south of Highway 140, the southern edge continues to improve with mop-up operations hitting 50 feet into the fire’s interior. The spot fire had been smoldering beneath the surface for a few days and flared up due to increased wind in the area. Crews were able to catch the fire without difficulty.

Crews on the west edge, along Patton Meadow Lane, have also reached a depth of 50 feet with mop-up activities. Crews on the eastern edge are working to extinguish hot spots and begin transitioning to mop-up.

OSFM currently has 8 task forces assigned to the Patton Meadow Fire. OSFM crews patrolled the perimeter of the fire and structures to work on strengthening the fire line. Task forces assisted our local wildland partners with an initial attack of a fire that began between Lakeview and Bly along Highway 140. The task forces and crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly.

With the successful efforts on the Willow Valley Fire, tonight will be the last night shift on the fire. Tomorrow will be the last day shift with the fire team handing the fire back to the local ODF Lake Unit Friday.

ODF Team 3, OSFM Blue Team, and Lake County Sheriff's Office would like to invite you to a Fireside Chat with the Fox Complex Leadership. Please join us on Thursday, August 19, at 2:00 pm on the front lawn of the Lake County Fairgrounds. Details can be found here - https://fb.me/e/2CIkOohpD

Lakeview, OR – Overnight temperatures dropped down to 36 degrees as fire crews worked hard to plumb and strengthen lines around the Patton Meadow Fire. With dry and windy conditions gusting up to 32mph, some fire crossed the fire line on the northwest corner of the fire at Patton Meadow, but quick response by crews kept the fire from spreading any further.

Operations Section Chief John Pellissier was upbeat at this morning’s briefing, saying “everyone’s happy with where we’re at right now and that lines are very secure.” Crews are preparing for burnout operations to further secure the fire line on the north side.

On the south side of the fire, crews continue mop-up operations from the current 50 feet up to 100 or 150 feet into the perimeter to keep the fire from crossing containment lines. “Lines are in and water is flowing,” added Pellissier, in regard to perimeter lines along Highway 140 on the fire’s south side.
Most of the remaining heat on the fire is along the north perimeter, burning in steep, rugged terrain towards Cottonwood Road. Dozers working along Cottonwood Road have completed a contingency line and crews are now working to develop a perimeter closer to the fire’s north front.

OSFM will be sending two task forces home today since the risk to structures has reduced. There are still 8 structural task forces available for structure assessment, building defensible space, and assisting wildland crews where needed. As of this morning, 88 structures have been assessed.

The overnight infrared flight showed Patton Meadow at 6,538 and Willow Valley at 824 acres. The fires are 30 percent and 65 percent contained respectively.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office evacuation details can be found by visiting https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906.

The team will again provide a personal update during a Facebook Live informational meeting tonight at 7pm. Click here for more information https://fb.me/e/1dM4zde6c.

Lakeview, OR – Crews made excellent progress today, despite high winds and extremely dry conditions. The Patton Meadow Fire is now 6,405 acres and 30 percent contained and the Willow Valley Fire remains 824 acres, now 65 percent contained.

On the north side of the fire, crews have nearly completed contingency line efforts on Cottonwood Road. The northeast corner of the fire is being plumbed with fire hose as containment lines get prepped for mop-up. Retardant dropping air tankers and SEATs (Single Engine Air Tankers) worked in unison with helicopters to support ground forces in keeping the fire in check under the Red Flag Warning conditions.

Night shift Operations Section Chief Mike White told crews at briefing tonight to “remain nimble and flexible” in their approach to adapt to shifting conditions. Winds are forecast to shift out of the north with gusts up to 35mph. Engine crews will begin looking into the interior of the fire on the south perimeter to strengthen containment lines against northerly winds. New resources continue to arrive that will not only help corral the fire but assist with mop-up as objectives change.

OSFM Task Forces assisted wildland crews with extinguishing hot spots 50 feet inside the fire line on the south side. In preparation for today’s Red Flag Warning wind event, two additional task forces arrived and were immediately sent out to begin assessing homes on the east side of the fire. They will assist with creating defensible space around structures, where appropriate, and quickly move to fire suppression activities if needed.

We appreciate the public’s outpouring of support for our efforts. Firefighters are well supplied and supported with equipment and food. We cannot accept donations to the firefighters. To support all firefighters, we recommend donating to the Wildland Firefighters Foundation which supports firefighters and families - https://wffoundation.org/. We also suggest that donations of food and other items be made to support the local community at your local food bank or Red Cross shelter.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office evacuation details can be found by visiting https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906.

Lakeview, OR – Favorable conditions overnight allowed crews to strengthen contingency lines around the perimeter of the Patton Meadow Fire in anticipation of today’s Red Flag Warning.
Efforts were focused on controlling the fire on the west and south fronts to prevent further spread, with Patton Meadow Road providing a perimeter on the west side and Highway 140 to the south. Control lines along Highway 140 are plumbed and crews have begun mopping up on the section of the fire south of Highway 140. Along Patton Meadow Road, hose lays are increasing. With winds calmer than expected overnight, crews were also able to direct resources to clearing brush and continuing to strengthen control lines on the east side of the fire in preparation for today’s forecasted winds.

Today’s forecasted Red Flag Warning from 2pm to 10pm will bring a dry cold front through the region with winds from the north and northwest at 15mph and gusts up to 35mph. The conditions will complicate firefighting efforts and have potential to push the fire to the south and east. Additional resources are being added to the firefighting effort and crews will be focusing on fortifying control and contingency lines in anticipation of the winds increasing in the early afternoon.

In anticipation of today’s weather event, two additional OSFM task forces are arriving to assist with structure protection. One task force will be arriving from Yamhill County and a Clackamas County task force will be coming in from the Middle Fork Complex. OSFM task forces are assessing homes and working with wildland crews to fortify containment lines along the south, east, and west sides of the fire.

The overnight infrared flight showed Patton Meadow at 6,405 and Willow Valley at 824 acres. The fires are 23 percent and 57 percent contained respectively.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office evacuation details can be found by visiting https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906.

Lakeview, OR – Crews made good progress overnight addressing critical areas on the Patton Meadow Fire. Patton Meadow Road continues to be a strategic focus, with crews fortifying the road with dozer and handlines and the support of three engine crews to prevent the fire from spreading to the west into the Fish Creek drainage. Some growth on the south side of the fire across Hwy 140 was controlled and dozer lines continue to hold the fire from spreading further south. On the east side of the fire, crews continued conducting small burnouts to eliminate fuels between containment lines and the fire’s interior.

Today, crews will continue to focus on the southwest corner of the fire and reinforce containment efforts north up Patton Meadow Road. Winds are predicted to increase to 18-23mph out of the west and southwest which could push the fire to the north and east. The north end of the fire is in steep and rocky terrain, making direct attack difficult. Contingency lines are being strengthened further north near Cottonwood Road in preparation for fire growth, while crews are working to identify areas where a more direct line can be constructed.

Five OSFM structural Task Forces will be out today supporting the efforts to hold the line at Patton Meadow Road. Task forces will also continue to monitor the structures around Highway 140 and the 383 road. Task forces have been assisting wildland crews by filling porta-tanks that are used for firefighting operations.

The Willow Valley Fire, 16 miles south of Bonanza, is fully lined with both dozer line and road. Crews are continuing to mop up and secure fire lines.

The overnight infrared flight showed more accurate acreage for the fires. The updated acres for the fires are; Patton Meadow with 6,025 acres with 18% containment, and Willow Valley is 826 acres with 35% containment.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office evacuation details can be found by visiting https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906.

Lakeview, OR – The predicted weather change came into the area this evening which brought higher winds out of the west and is predicted to continue for the next couple of days. Both wildland and structural fire crews are working in unison to ensure the fire stays inside the established containment lines on the south and east sides of the Patton Meadow Fire. Due to the increased fire behavior and the change in weather, ODF Team 3 and OSFM Blue Team are aligned with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office’s decision to adjust the current evacuation levels. Lake County Sheriff’s Office updated evacuation details this afternoon. The current evacuation details can be found by visiting https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906.

Crews working on the Patton Meadow fire made good progress in most areas of the fire. The fire did cross over Patton Meadow Road in a small area, which crews continue to work to control.

North of Highway 140, crews will continue to conduct small burnout operations to reduce fuels along established containment lines. Today, there was a successful burn operation south of Highway 140 that reduced the risk of the fire spotting and spreading any further to the south.

The eastern side of the fire held with the shift in wind, now coming from the west. Crews will continue to strengthen those lines, building to the north. The northern edge of the fire is in steep terrain with little direct access. Contingency lines are being built along current roads, while crews look to identify other possible direct lines further south.

Overnight, crews will continue to strengthen lines around the fire, focusing on the area that crossed Patton Meadow Road and the eastern edge.

Crews strengthened lines on the Willow Valley Fire, working to increase its containment. The fire had no growth for the third consecutive day.

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Lakeview, OR – Fire crews worked overnight to strengthen lines on the west and south sides of the Patton Meadow Fire. The expected wind shift out of the northeast did occur overnight with established containment lines holding.

Today, crews will continue the work on the west and south sides of the fire to build containment. Small burnout operations are expected on the south end of the fire to eliminate fuels between containment lines and the fire’s interior. The north end of the fire is in steep and rocky terrain, making direct attack difficult. Contingency lines are being built further north in preparation for fire growth, while crews are working to identify areas where a more direct line can be constructed.

The Willow Valley Fire, 16 miles south of Bonanza is still holding with no growth. Crews will continue constructing and strengthening containment lines today.

OSFM structural Task Forces will be preparing for the change in weather today. The wind is shifting to be out of the West with gusts of 10-20 mph, which could push the fire towards the East. With this change in weather, the structural Task Forces will begin patrolling areas that have been assessed and prepped for defensible space. The crews have completed a significant amount of work in the Level 3 evacuation zones and the work continues with the addition of more structural crews. Since there is a potential for fire behavior change on the ground, our primary focus is to save all homes.

The overnight infrared flight showed more accurate acreage for the fires. The updated acres for the fires are; Patton Meadow with 5,406 acres with 15% containment, and Willow Valley is 824 acres with 35% containment.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office evacuation details can be found by visiting https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906.

Lakeview, OR  –  Fire behavior was active today on the Patton Meadow Fire as temperatures climbed over 100 degrees.  Crews are working to hold the west side of the fire at Patton Meadow Road.  There was a small spot fire that crossed Patton Meadow Road, but crews we able to stop it from significant growth.  Overnight, crews will strengthen lines on the west and south side of the fire in preparation for the shift to a NE wind overnight. The spot fire that crossed over Hwy 140 to the south last night is fully lined and in mop up. Crews were able to hold the Willow Valley Fire for another day of zero growth. No structures are threatened on the Willow Valley Fire. There is a planned infrared flight over both fires tonight. This will give a more accurate measurement of acres and containment in the morning. OSFM welcomed two more task forces from Washington State this evening. This brings the total number of task forces to 9, which equals approximately 120 structural firefighters assigned to the Patton Meadow Fire. These firefighters continue to assess structures, create defensible space where feasible, and support wildland firefighters in strengthening the containment lines around structures and the fire. To put these structural firefighting resources into perspective, Corvallis Fire Department has approximately 100 members in their fire department. Additional resources arrived today, with additional resources coming in over the next few days. Lake County Sheriff’s Office updated evacuation levels today. There are increased areas of each level of evacuation.  Details can be found by visiting https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906.

Lakeview, OR  –  The Fox Complex, which includes the Patton Meadow and Willow Valley fires, is now under the unified command of Oregon Department of Forestry’s Incident Management Team 3 and Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Blue Team.   The arrival of the two teams brings in additional overhead capacity and firefighting resources. The teams are setting up their incident command post at the Lake County Fairgrounds and working on arrangements for a forward operating base for crews and amenities to support them. The Patton Meadow Fire is burning on the Fremont-Winema National Forest and private lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry about 10 miles west of Lakeview. Fire behavior picked up overnight as winds out of the north pushed the fire over and to the south of Highway 140 and west of the 383 road. Night crews and dozers were able to corral the fire in both areas and will continue to strengthen those lines throughout today. Current mapping shows the fire at about 4,100 acres.

OSFM’s Blue Team is supporting the effort by providing structure protection around homes along Hwy 140 with 7 structural taskforces and 2 more taskforces arriving today. The crews will assess homes, create defensible space around the homes when feasible, and assist wildland firefighting crews in creating containment lines that will help protect structures.

The Willow Valley Fire, about 16 miles south of Bonanza, is estimated at about 770 acres. The fire is burning mostly on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lakeview District lands north of the Stateline, as well as part of the Modoc National Forest to the south.  ODF protected lands are threatened. No structures are threatened on the Willow Valley Fire. With the teams still getting established, resources are on order and beginning to trickle in. Four large, type 1 helicopters are also expected to arrive this afternoon. Lake County Sheriff’s Office is managing evacuation levels. Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuation notifications are in place within and around the fire area. Stay up to date on evacuation levels by visiting https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office Media ReleaseAugust 14, 2021, 1:00 a.m.
For Immediate Release

Contact: Melanie Lasley
(541) 947-6003
mlasley@co.lake.or.us

Lakeview, OR – Evacuations. Additional Level 1 Evacuations levels are expanding in Lake County due to increased activity on the Patton Meadow Fire. The Fire has moved past Highway 140 West. Lake County utilized its emergency alert system to notify residents in the affected areas by Wireless Emergency Alert, text, email, and phone. Law enforcement agencies are also attempting to reach all affected residents, door-to-door.

Level 3 – GO NOW!

• Highway 140 West at Juniper RV to Antelope Valley Ranch.
• All of Drews Gap, on both sides of Highway 140.

Level 2 – Be Set

• West of Antelope Valley Ranch to Tracy Loop.
• North of Highway 140 from Juniper RV to Lower Cottonwood.

Level 1 – Be Ready

• 140 West south to Andy Hill Road
• West on Andy Hill Road to Dog Lake Lane, to Dog Creek Bridge
• All residences at Drews Reservoir
• Tracy Loop to Upper Cottonwood Road.
• East of Lower Cottonwood Road to Cottonwood Creek.

These evacuations extend and/or change the currently implemented levels. The most effective method for viewing current evacuation levels is by using the link to the interactive map below.
 
Evacuation maps are also posted in and shared with community gathering places throughout the fire evacuation areas by incident management team staff. Remember that:
 

• Level 1 evacuation means “BE READY” for potential evacuation. Be aware of danger in your area and monitor emergency services websites and media outlets for information. Prepare yourself and belongings for evacuation and consider movement of persons with special needs, mobile property and pets and livestock.
• Level 2 evacuation means “BE SET” to evacuate. Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice; there is a significant danger to your area. Residents may voluntarily relocate to a shelter or with family/friends outside the affected area. You may have time to gather necessary items, but doing so is at your own risk.
• Level 3 evacuation means “GO NOW” – leave immediately! Danger is current or imminent. If you choose to ignore this advisement, understand that emergency services may not be able to assist you further. DO NOT delay to gather belongings or make efforts to protect your home.

An evacuation shelter is located at the following location: the Daly Middle School Auditorium (220 South H St.) in Lakeview.
 Fire Information. Find the latest fire information, which is published by the Patton Meadow Fire Incident Management Team, via the links below.

Patton Meadow Evacuation Map:
https://www.lakecountyor.org/docs/081221%20EVAC%20Level%20Map.pdf
 Inciweb Incident Information System:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7798/
 Lake County Website/Facebook Page:
https://www.lakecountyor.org/index.php and https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906