Special Notice: The Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team will be sharing a pre-recorded Public Meeting message to discuss the fire situation and evacuation level changes in Marion County. Although it will be pre-recorded, we will have Information Officers to monitor and answer questions. The recording will be available mid-day on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/1383001042049433/ ). Please see "Closures and Evacuations" section below links to detailed information about these changes. 

Current Situation: The cold front that moved through the area yesterday brought rain to most of the fire. This slowed fire activity, but the east side of the fire dried out quickly with gusty southwest winds. Fuel moistures on the east side of the fire were still dropping Thursday afternoon. The wind and drying fuels resulted in some increased burning in green islands well within the fire's perimeter. These islands may put up smoke during expected windy conditions today. Another cold front will bring more damp weather to the fire area today.The combination of damp weather over most of the Lionshead fire and the continued hard work of the firefighters resulted in containment increasing to 28%. 

Firefighting Efforts by Division: (Refer to the map for division breakdown.)
Very little movement has occurred on the north edge of the fire in Division A over the past few days. The contingency line north of the fire's active edge is secure. Plans are to go direct on the fire's edge when it is safe and productive to do so.
 
Division K, N, & R are being patrolled and mopped up. Some chipping operations are ongoing there. In the Jefferson Lake area, the fire is still hung up on the lava fields. The fire there has not spread in days. 
 
In Division E, patrol and chipping operations continue. 
 
In Division S and T, favorable weather conditions have allowed for direct line construction and mop up. New containment is noted on the map in this area. A hard closure will be maintained on Road 46 due to hazard trees. 
 
 
Coordination with Beachie and Riverside fire operations over future plans for Division W continues. Spot fires in Division Z continue to be the focus of suppression efforts in this division. 
 

Weather and Fuels Conditions: A strong cold front is arriving today with gusty winds along ridges and southwest drainages. Rain is expected to increase throughout the day. Temperatures will be somewhat cooler with high humidity. Saturday, a slow warming trend is forecast , but some showers may linger through Sunday. Monday is forecast to be drier and warmer. Good air quality is expected today and tomorrow throughout the area.

Closures and Evacuations: Today at 9 a.m. evacuation level changes will go into effect in Marion County. The changes are being made following careful consultation between fire management officials and the Oregon Department of Transportation, Marion County Public Works, law enforcement, and many other partner agencies.

The evacuation levels around Detroit, Idanha, and the Elkhorn community along North Fork Road are being reduced to a Level 2 - "Be Set" evacuation level at 9 a.m. Crews have been working tirelessly to restore access to evacuated areas. While residents will be able to return to these communities under strict safety conditions, many hazards remain. Core services have not yet been restored.

"As our residents return to the cities of Detroit and Idanha, we are asking the media and other visitors to be respectful of our community members during this difficult time," said City of Detroit Mayor Jim Trett. "This will be the first time many of our residents are seeing the extent of the damage following the wildfires. Please allow our residents an opportunity to grieve these losses privately."

Due to the remaining hazards in the cities of Detroit and Idanha and lack of basic services, we request people who are not residents to refrain from traveling to this area. The Marion County Sheriff's Office continues to coordinate with partner law enforcement agencies to maintain an enhanced presence in the Detroit and Idanha communities as residents return. Community members who happen to reside in Linn County may find up to date information at www.LinnSheriff.org .

A map of evacuations in Marion County are available on their website linked here:
https://marioncounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5202b602f99647b9a16d488c545113b5&fbclid=IwAR3IWTUcLAF14aB3R-p7v124S3ZLr2j0bTs_Prr16CCJnWkxF9s1RCUffKo .There are no longer evacuation notices for the Sidwalter/Miller flats area.

Special Notice: A virtual fire information public meeting was held on September 23, 2020. To view a recording of the meeting, go to https://www.facebook.com/LionsheadFire.
Schools have reopened. Please be aware of increased traffic. 

Current Situation:  The wind picked up Wednesday afternoon, resulting in increased burning in green islands well within the fire's perimeter.  The fire gained some acreage, but containment remained at 15%. Rain fell on the fire overnight. This will reduce fire behavior and should allow crews to make even more progress. The rain was variable, but over an inch fell on some sections of the fire.
 
In the wake of most wildfires, there are dead trees (snags) as well as trees that are fire-weakened that tend to fall, sometimes with little warning. These trees create a hazard to firefighters as well as having the potential to block roadways needed for travel in and around the fire.  Firefighters refer to these as hazard trees. When such trees are found to constitute a danger, they are cut down by crews of experienced fallers or removed with equipment. 
 
The rainfall expected today will improve air quality. Rainfall may cause slippery roads and make travel in and around the fire difficult. Debris flows are possible, however, the amount of rain predicted is not expected to create widespread flooding. 

Firefighting Efforts by Division: (Refer to the map for division breakdown.)
Very little movement has occurred on the north edge of the fire in Division A over the past few days. The contingency line north of the fire's active edge is secure. This line should prevent spread of the fire if fire behavior picks up. Containment line is secure all the way south to Division R. Previous burnouts look secure. Progress was made in the Badger Butte area, although work continues to close a gap in constructed line. Interior islands burning out showed considerable smoke.
 
The east side of Division A is in patrol status with mop up operations still seeing a little heat. Crews were pulled out of some parts of Division A on Wednesday due to wind for crew safety. 
 
In Division E, patrol and chipping operations continue. 
 
Divisions G, I, K, and N have been quiet for several days and continue to be secure. Firefighters are monitoring and patrolling this area. Most of the road system has been prepped and is now being reinforced for indirect line. 
 
On the southeast perimeter, working west from the Division N/R break (north of Jefferson Lake), the fireline has been secured west to the lava rock area. This are will be monitored by air operations and watched by lookouts. All line on the 12 Road is complete just short of the 20 Road. Firefighters still have work to do removing logs and slash. 
 
Much of the fire perimeter in Division S has checked itself along the road system. There hasn't been any significant fire movement or spread in this division for several days. 
 
The fire in Division T has mostly checked on existing roads. Crew work is primarily patrol and cold trailing along the fire's edge. Cold trailing is a method of controlling a partly dead fire edge by carefully inspecting and feeling with the hands to detect and extinguish any remaining heat. Firefighters are looking for and containing any spread across roadways. 
 
The structure group continues their work in Detroit, Idanha, New Idanha, and Breitenbush securing line and mopping up. 
 
Drews in Division W. Y and Z secured spot fires found near 46 Road. The 46 Road remains closed to the public due to the large amount of heavy equipment required for this effort. This road may remain closed until snags and other hazards are cleared and the road is deemed safe for public travel. 
 
The north contingency group is reinforcing indirect line in Divisions A and Z along the road system. The north contingency group is working in close coordination with Riverside Fire managers to identify opportunities to connect existing roads that both fires could use in the event these indirect lines are needed. The line is being secured with heavy equipment and hand crews removing fuels. The south contingency group is working along County Road 12 to County Road 20, improving fuel breaks along the road. 
 
Air operations completed some bucket work yesterday, but building winds made this effort difficult by afternoon.

Weather and Fuels Conditions: Today, expect rainy conditions with gusty winds over much of the fire. Southwest winds will increase to 12-18 mph with gusts of 30-35 mph. Rainfall accumulations will be higher west of the crest and lower inland.

Closures and Evacuations: Evacuation Notices remain in place for the Lionshead Fire. Level 3 “Go!” evacuation notices were issued for the communities of Detroit, Idanha, New Idanha, and Breitenbush. A map of evacuations in Marion County are available on their website linked here:
https://marioncounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5202b602f99647b9a16d488c545113b5&fbclid=IwAR3IWTUcLAF14aB3R-p7v124S3ZLr2j0bTs_Prr16CCJnWkxF9s1RCUffKo .

There are no longer evacuation notices for the Sidwalter/Miller flats area.