Unified Command:

Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 2

Fremont National Forest

Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office

Information Contact:

541-943-3513

Winter Fire Update

July 16, 2002

8:00 AM

The winter fire exploded yesterday and grew to 18,000 acres. Several homes narrowly escaped burning, as windows were blown out and some scorching occurred. Twenty homes and a number of other structures were saved. Five outbuildings were destroyed.

Because of the continuing threat to homes in the area, Governor Kitzhaber has invoked the Conflagration Act. Structural firefighters and engines from Klamath and Lane Counties have converged on the fire. Additional leadership is being provided by the State Fire Marshal’s Red Fire Team, which is integrating with the existing command structure.

The Winter Fire merged with the smaller Rim fire as both fires were driven to the north by strong, erratic winds. In a spectacular show of nature’s power, the heat of the fire created its own weather conditions, and strong down-drafts pushed the fire toward the homes and the highway. The fire forced the closure of State Highway Hwy 31 from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning at 7:30 AM, and many citizens are without power as the fire downed power lines in the area.

Citizens and firefighters worked together to remove livestock and assist those area residents who were forced to evacuate. A number of neighbors assisted firefighters in saving the homes.

Over four hundred fire fighters are committed to the blaze, aided by 3 helicopters and several air tankers.

The firefighters’ main objectives today are to safely construct, hold, and burnout lines on the north and south ends of the fire.

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