Canyonville, Ore. – “This is a tough fire,” ODF Team 1 Incident Commander John Buckman explained this morning. “Because of the challenging terrain and abundant, dry fuel – large standing and downed trees – we have difficult work ahead to suppress this fire but I know these crews can do it.”
Governor Kate Brown invoked the Conflagration Act to bring structural firefighters in from around the state to help protect the neighborhoods close to the fire. The OSFM Office quickly mobilized statewide resources including task force teams from Clackamas, Lane, Linn/Benton, Lincoln, Marion and Yamhill counties to work with the Green Team.
Facing difficult weather – historically high temperatures and low relative humidity – and quick growth to about 8,500 acres since its start July 30. The drought created unusually dry forests prone to fast-spreading fires. Between yesterday and last night the fire grew 2,000 acres to the south and east.
The combined structural and wildland firefighting team of over 800 firefighters will split responsibilities based on their expertise. The Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Green Team’s and ODF Team I are operating under a “unified command” to coordinate the structural and wildland firefighting efforts. While the city or structural firefighters work with homeowners to help prevent harm to their homes if the fire reaches them, the wildland firefighters will continue working to contain the fire to prevent the fire from spreading to the neighborhoods.
“The Douglas Forest Protective Association and the Umpqua National Forest gave us specific direction to suppress the fire and be safe,” said OSFM Green Team’s Incident Commander Ted Kunze. “It’s great to see the teams partnering with the communities to protect our forests and the people living near them.”
Yesterday, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 3 (Go) evacuation for residents in the Azalea area from Upper Cow Creek to Snow Creek East. There is a Level 2 (Set) evacuation for residents near the Galesville Dam up to Snow Creek. For the residents on Ferguson Lane, Stouts Creek, and Conley Lane – the level of evacuation was reduced to Level 2.
The Red Cross set up an evacuation shelter at the Canyonville YMCA. Fire managers and structure protection teams continue evaluating the wildland-urban interface zones and preparing the areas to help blunt the fire if it reaches these areas. This includes the Milo, Tiller, Azalea, and Crew communities, in addition to the homes under Level II and III evacuations.
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