Springfield, Ore. –  The Holiday Farm Fire stayed put over the last 24 hours with no additional growth. The fire stands at 173,094 acres and is now 27 percent contained.

Elevated winds that are expected to arrive in the area early this afternoon will be the first test of containment lines since last week’s thunderstorms. Ridgetops throughout the fire have already undergone significant drying and will be exposed to sustained winds out of the south-southwest up to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Firefighters have been spending the majority of their time preparing for today’s weather event by strengthening hand and dozer lines and mopping up at least 25 feet into the interior.

Because there are several pockets of unburned vegetation within the perimeter of the fire, residents can expect to see smoke and some torching of trees within the footprint of the fire. Please refrain from calling 911 on these smokes. Up to seven helicopters will be available again to support firefighters on the ground.

Hazards along Highway 126 still exist. Road crews from ODOT and fire personnel continue to make progress cutting hazard trees and removing large debris from the road surface with heavy equipment. The McKenzie Highway remains closed from milepost 28 east to milepost 40. For more information regarding road closures and delays, visit https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Pages/Wildfire.aspx or www.tripcheck.com.

Level 1 and 2 evacuation notifications remain in effect for several communities within and bordering the fire area. For more information on current evacuation levels, visit www.lanecounty.org/mckenziefire for Lane County and www.linnsheriff.org/fire_live_updates_sept_2020/ for Linn County. Please continue to monitor cell phones, landlines, local media and official information sources for evacuation updates. Fire managers request that the public please avoid the area.

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Springfield, Ore. –Infrared flight mapping was unavailable again last night. The Holiday Farm Fire’s footprint is currently estimated at 173,025 acres and containment is at 12%. The fire’s perimeter measures more than 260 miles.

Weather-Yesterday we had approximately 1/10” rain on the eastern portion of the fire and 1.5” on the western portion. Today we expect things to stay wet through noon with 70-80% humidity across the fire. Temperatures are expected to remain in the 50’s and 60’s today. 

Wildland fire crews worked to “mop up” (the process of ensuring that no burning material remains) in several areas around the fire perimeter yesterday, strengthening containment lines. Today crews will focus on the eastern portion of the fire where more heat is present due to lower rainfall amounts.

The Urban Search & Rescue team completed their mission yesterday and 1537 structures within the fire perimeter have been searched and evaluated. No additional victims have been found at this time. Information on the state of structures is being prepared and distributed as quickly as possible. Affected residents should call (541)682-3977 for information on the status of homes.

Structural firefighters patrolled and extinguished hot spots around structures yesterday. Firefighters had good success and today crews will continue the same. This afternoon conflagration crews will return home. Local resources from the Lane County area stand ready to move in quickly if needed and statewide resources will return if necessary. Incident Commander Ian Yocum said “We have done as much as we can with our structural resources and it is time to return these fire crews to their homes, communities and families. I have the utmost confidence in IC Smith and the ODF team as they work to complete the wildland mission. I am thankful for the trust that this community has placed in us and if we are needed we will be back.”

Springfield, Ore. –Infrared flight mapping was unavailable again last night, the Holiday Farm Fire’s footprint is currently estimated at 172,510 acres and containment remains at 10%. The fire’s perimeter measures more than 260 miles.

A tree faller was injured by a fallen limb while working to clear roads within the fire area. He was transported to the hospital by ambulance for evaluation and treatment. His injuries do not appear to be life threatening.

Friday’s weather-An upper low will move across the fire area today and bring showers. The weather forecast continues to predict possible afternoon thunder storms with gusty erratic winds and small hail. Showers continue tonight and into Saturday but will gradually diminish.

Wildland fire crews will continue working to improve and increase fire containment using hand crews, fire engines and heavy machinery. Crews will be taking advantage of the wet weather to clear roads in the Quartz Creek area and will continue to focus along Hwy 126. Yesterday crews found and addressed a ten-acre spot fire.

Structural firefighters continue to work along Hwy 126 from Leaburg to Rainbow patrolling and clearing defensible space around houses. As conditions improve in and around buildings the need for structural resources is decreasing. This will allow these resources to return to protecting their home communities.  

The Urban Search and Rescue Team will be entirely working west of Nimrod. They have completed 1,273 structural evaluations in the fire area. Structures include commercial buildings, residences and outbuildings. The US&R team is hoping to finish their work today and will be released when their mission is complete.