Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 12:00 am
SALEM - Gov. Ted Kulongoski has declared the Royce Butte fire 12 miles west of Crescent Lake as a conflagration.
The declaration cleared the way for the state fire marshal to mobilize firefighters and equipment to assist local resources battling the fire. The request to invoke the Oregon Conflagration Act was made by Klamath County Fire Defense Board Chief John Ketchum.
According to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, the fire started at 3 p.m. Tuesday. Dry fuel conditions along with an unstable air pattern cause the fire to move rapidly with extreme fire behavior.
The fire has burned more than 1,100 acres of grass and brush and threatens 200 structures. Evacuations have taken place in the Crescent Lake Junction community, Diamond Peaks subdivision (east of Crescent Lake Junction), East Odell Lodge and summer homes at Crescent and Odell Lakes.
The Office of State Marshal's Red Incident Management Team and structural task forces from Deschutes and Lane counties are en-route. A Klamath County structural task force is on scene.
The Oregon Department of Transportation has closed Highway 58 near milepost 70.
ODOT crews at about 4 p.m. closed the highway from milepost 64, about three miles east of Willamette Pass, to milepost 73, near the Crescent Cut-Off Road. It was expected to be closed through at least today.
Motorists needing to travel between Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley should use alternate routes such as Highway 126, U.S. 20, Highway 22 or U.S. 26. Highway 138 East remains closed due to the Rattle Fire.
Oregon's conflagration may be invoked only by the Governor and allows the State Fire Marshal to dispatch structural firefighters and equipment. More information on Conflagration and Emergency Mobilization is available at OSFM website:
http://www.oregon.gov/OSP/SFM/2008_Oregon_Fire_Service_Mobilization_Plan.shtml.
Here is the status of other wildfires, reported by the Oregon Department of Forestry:
* The lightning-caused Buck Point Fire started Tuesday in Southern Oregon between Highway 140 and Willow Lake and is estimated to be 15 acres in size. The fire is burning in heavy timber. Dangerous snags have kept firefighters from working in some portions of the burned area. This fire is 50 percent lined. A dozer and several engines worked through the night building fire lines and cooling hot spots on the fire's edge; a helicopter was heading to the scene.
* The Wasson Fire is estimated at 10-15 acres, lightning-caused, and is burning in timber on steep terrain in Wasson canyon. Uncontrolled; two 20-person crews enroute to the fire.
* Smaller fires burning in the Round Mountain and Salt Creek areas are staffed. A reconnaissance flight will patrol the district this morning.
* The Royce Butte Fire on the Deschutes NF is burning in the vicinity of Crescent Lake and is threatening structures in the Crescent Lake Junction area and the Diamond Park Subdivision; evacuations are in effect. ODF's Walker Range District is engaged with the Forest Service, resources include 3 federal airtankers and an ODF airtanker.
* The Gnarl Fire on the Mount Hood National Forest located in Hood River County has been burning on the East side of Mt Hood in the wilderness; recently, fires have spotted to within a mile of state protected land.
Additional resources on surviving wildfires may be accessed at:
• Wildfire…Evacuation Readiness http://egov.oregon.gov/OSP/SFM/docs/Comm_Ed/WUI/wildfire_evac.doc
• After the Wildfire… http://egov.oregon.gov/OSP/SFM/docs/Comm_Ed/WUI/After_a_wildfire.doc