Unified Command:
Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 2
Information Contact:
541-943-3513
541-943-0998
Winter
Fire Update
8:00 AM
A community meeting will be held at Summer Lake Lodge
tonight at 7:00 PM to discuss fire suppression strategy on the Winter Fire and
future plans.
A UH1-H “Huey” helicopter dropping water on the west side of
the Winter Fire (at the westernmost
finger of the fire) lost power at 3:30 Wednesday afternoon when the engine
failed, forcing the pilot to land quickly in a meadow near the fire. The pilot was not injured, nor was the
helicopter damaged beyond the mechanical failure to the engine. Because the fire was burning toward the
location of the disabled helicopter, retardant was dropped between it and the
fire. A dozer was able to complete a
line around its position, and an engine and crew took action to provide
protection from the advancing fire. The
owner of the helicopter is Northwest Helicopter of Olympia, Washington. A crew is installing a new engine and they
hope to fly the helicopter to safety later today.
The northeast portion of the Toolbox Fire burned up to
Highway 31 last night, with some spotting into an area near the Ana Reservoir
subdivision. The spots were extinguished
quickly by firefighters, however, and they were able to hold the fire north and
west of the highway. Highway 31 was
temporarily closed, and residents in the area were warned of the danger.
Strong north winds are predicted for the next several
days. “Our next challenge is to hold our
lines against sustained winds from the north,” said Jim Mair, Incident
Commander. “That wind, coupled with the
statewide shortage of resources, means our people will have to continue to give
110% for the next few days.”
There have been no major injuries on the Winter fire, but a
spider-bite victim was treated at a local hospital, and another firefighter was
treated for dehydration.
The Winter fire did not grow last night, and its size is now
estimated to be 33,860 acres. It is 50%
contained, and expected to be fully contained by August 1st.
There are 1318 firefighters assigned to the Winter Fire,
including 250 National Guard troops. Ten
additional National Guard crews are expected to arrive Friday and Saturday.
The City of Paisley is posting fire information on its web page
at www.paisley.presys.com.
Resources
Currently Assigned To Winter Fire
Hand Crews
|
40 |
|
Engines |
39 |
|
Helicopters |
9 |
|
Dozers |
16 |
|
Water Tenders |
15 |
|
Total Personnel |
1318 |
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