Archie Creek Fire Update September 22, 2020

Unified Incident Commanders Mike Dueitt and Tim Keith
Email: 2020.archiecreek@firenet.gov Phone: 971-334-7674 Hours: 8am-8pm

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7176/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArchieCreekFireInfo/

There are NO Community Meetings scheduled at this time. A meeting for this evening for the Glide
community was considered but not scheduled due to COVID-19 safety protocol.
Special Note: The Oregon Department of Transportation announced that Highway 138E (North Umpqua
Highway) will open at noon today. Motorists should expect delays of up to 45 minutes as single lane traffic
will be escorted by pilot cars in some areas. Due to potential road hazards, motorists should stay in their cars
and avoid pulling over and stopping. Despite the highway reopening, the Umpqua National Forest and lands
managed by the Bureau of Land Management, including all recreational areas between Glide and Diamond
Lake, remain closed to the public.
Fire Update: The Archie Creek Fire has burned 131,598 acres and is 44 percent contained. There are currently
1,055 personnel assigned to the fire.
Yesterday’s fire behavior was limited to smoldering and creeping, so firefighters continued to make good
progress building and strengthening firelines and mopping up. Water drops from a helicopter were used to help
firefighters contain a half-acre fire discovered Sunday outside the perimeter of the Archie Fire, about two miles
north of its northeast flank in the Pass Creek area off the 22.1 Road. Crews will continue to work on the
holdover fire today. A helicopter also dropped fire retardant on the southern part of the fire in the Thunder
Mountain area. Helicopters will be available for fire suppression again today, if needed.
Fire behavior is expected to be minimal again today and firefighters will take advantage of that by constructing
firelines as close to the fire’s edge as possible, getting ready for gusty southwest winds forecasted for
tomorrow in advance of a frontal system expected to drop 0.5 to 0.7 inches of rain on the fire Wednesday
evening through Friday.
An infrared flight taken yesterday showed scattered hot spots throughout the fire. Firefighters will focus on
cooling hot spots near containment lines and continuing to build, connect and strengthen firelines. Specific
areas of concern are on the south, east, and north edges of the fire. In the south, this includes areas around
Little River and Thunder Mountain roads to Highway 138. In the east, mop up continues in three areas where
the fire burned over containment lines in the Panther Creek (4714) Road area west of Highway 138. In the
north, firefighters will go directly to the fire’s edge in the Zag Creek area to cut off several fingers of fire.
Fire hose has been placed all around the fire helps cool areas near containment lines. Hand crews continue to
arrive to help increase containment. Mop up is occurring all around the fire, especially around structures in
Glide, Idleyld Park and Rock Creek. Firefighters are protecting homes and other buildings in all areas of the
fire, including along Little River Road and will work into the evening to ensure structures are safe. They are
also assessing structure protection for the Bar L subdivision. Other areas of special protection include the Wolf
Creek Job Corps, Susan Creek Bridge, communications equipment on Scott Mountain and the Big Tree area.
The Big Tree is still standing and the area around it was not affected by the fire. Firefighters will install a

sprinkler system in the Big Tree area to protect it and will continue to remove live and dead vegetation around
the Job Corps to reduce fire risk.
The fire has backed down to the North Umpqua River on the east flank and firefighters are monitoring it there.
Fire scars are helping check fire progression in the southeastern edge of the fire and firefighters are using old
timber sale roads (600 series) to contain the fire in that area.
North of Highway 138E, in the Steamboat area, firefighters and heavy equipment continue to work along
Canton Creek Road to Trapper Creek to improve contingency firelines in case the fire crosses primary
firelines.
As containment increases in some areas, firefighters will backhaul equipment, grade roads and begin to assess
what actions they need to take to repair damage from building firelines and suppressing the fire. This is to
ensure fireline construction and other suppression actions do not have long-lasting impacts to natural
resources.
Personnel and Equipment: 23 Type 2 hand crews, 3 helicopters, 76 engines, 43 bulldozers, 50 water tenders,
9 masticators and 5 skidgeons.
Help for Fire Victims: Information on disaster aid can be found at https://wildfire.oregon.gov/ The following
agencies and organizations are helping those who were affected by this fire and are accepting donations.
 Glide Revitalization Committee: https://gliderevitalization.com/
 Glide Helping Hands: 541-733-6860
 Glide Baptist Church: https://www.glidebaptist.org/
 Greater Douglas United Way: https://gduway.org/campaigns/fire-relief-fund/
 Roseburg Rotary: https://www.facebook.com/RoseburgRotary/ and
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=s-
xclick&hosted_button_id=3D2BEGT2AJBRS&source=url
 Douglas Timber Operators / Umpqua Fisheries Enhancement Derby:

 Saving Grace: www.savinggrace.info 541-672-3907
 Red Cross: 541-672-6581
Evacuations, shelter areas: An interactive map of the current evacuation area can be found
at www.dcso.com/evacuations. For more evacuation information, visit the Douglas County Sheriff website
www.dcso.com/evacuations and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DouglasCoSO
The Douglas County Fairgrounds has full RV spaces, electric hookup spaces and dry camping available. They
also have stalls and arenas for livestock and farm animals. Contact Ciera Keith at (541) 440-4394 for more
information.
Air quality: See the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality at http://www.oregon.gov/deq
Closures:
 Roads – Highway 138E will open at noon today, but delays should be expected. See www.tripcheck.com
for updates on highway closures.
 Bureau of Land Management – All lands east of Interstate 5, within the Swiftwater Resource Area are
closed.
 Umpqua National Forest – Maps and closure orders can be found on Inciweb at:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7176/. Additional information on Forest Service closures are
available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices Managed lands east of Interstate 5,
within the Swiftwater Resource Area are closed.
 Temporary Flight Restriction: There is a temporary flight restriction in effect for the Archie Creek Fire.

Thielsen Fire Update Sept. 22, 2020

Location	Diamond Lake Ranger District, 5 miles north of Crater Lake National Park and within 1 mile of Diamond Lake Resort
Size/ Containment	9,916 acres and 26% contained. Fire was discovered on Sept. 8 at 0830 PDT. Cause is unknown.
Evacuations (no change)	Level 3 “GO” evacuations are in place for the Diamond Lake area. Visit the Douglas County Sheriff’s website for the most current information.
Resources	Personnel: 438 Type 2 Crews: 4 Type 2IA Crews: 4 Helicopters: 4 Type 3 Engines: 2 Type 4 Engines: 4 Type 6 Engines: 12 Water Tenders: 11 Masticators: 1 Dozers: 8 Fixed-wing Aircraft: 3
Current Situation	Progress continued around the fire area yesterday with firefighters taking advantage of overnight humidity recoveries. Resources continued to construct and secure firelines along the southern and western edges of the fire. Today, personnel will focus on providing safe ingress and egress for public on Hwy. 138E when it reopens at noon today. Similar to previous operational periods, firefighters will continue to protect critical infrastructure and secure and hold the fire’s southern edge near the northern boundary of Diamond Lake. They also will continue to secure and mop up along containment lines and improve the defense of structures around the Cinnamon Butte communications tower. On the southeastern edge of the fire, crews will construct handline, cold trail and mop up along the fire edge and continue to identify contingency containment opportunities. Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics (MIST) are being implemented in the fire area.
Closures (change)	Road Closures: The Oregon Department of Transportation will open Hwy. 138E (North Umpqua Highway) today at noon. For the latest road conditions, visit www.tripcheck.com. The route to Miller Lake via FS Road 9772 is closed from the intersection with Hwy. 97 to the intersection with FS Road 110 due to firefighter traffic. Drivers are being directed to take FS Road 9774 to connect with FS Road 110 as an alternative route. Forest Closures: The Umpqua National Forest is currently at Industrial Fire Precaution Level III. No industrial operating waivers will be issued. The Fire Adjective Class is High. For more details, please visit related news release on InciWeb. Temporary emergency closure orders remain in effect for all National Forest System lands, roads, and trails within the Cottage Grove Ranger District: ORDER NO. 06-15-01-20-423, Tiller Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-02-20-422, Diamond Lake Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-03-20-420 and North Umpqua Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-06-20-421. Flight restrictions: A temporary flight restriction remains in place from the surface up to and including 10,000 feet to provide a safe environment for fire-fighting aviation operations.
Air Quality	Air quality continues to improve. For more information visit airnow.gov
Weather and Fire Behavior	The day will start with a few clouds early in the morning with increasing winds from the west-southwest. Wind gusts nearing 17 mph will start in the afternoon.
InciWeb	https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7195/

Lionshead Fire Update

Tuesday, September 22, 2020 – 10 a.m.

Firefighters Prepare for Increasing Winds

Special Notice: There will be a virtual community fire information meeting on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 6:00 p.m., PDT. An update on the status of the fire may be provided by fire managers and cooperating agencies. The meeting can be viewed via Zoom at this link: https://usfs.zoomgov.com/j/1606494587.

Current Situation:

Increasing winds are posing a hazard along road corridors and the fireline due to the possibility of falling snags and fire damaged trees. Hazardous tree removal work along roads and constructed fireline will also be affected by increasing winds.

Even though a rain event is approaching, active burning may occur today due to warmer, drier conditions and stronger winds. Smoke may increase as interior green islands burn, but little expansion of the fire’s perimeter is expected. The wind may reveal areas that need more attention along the fire edge.

Structure protection personnel continue assessments of structures impacted by the fire. Structure protection work is ongoing in Sidwalter, Idanha, New Idanha, and Detroit.

Air quality has improved due to the rain and cooler temperatures over the past few days. Good to excellent humidity recovery at night may also be helpful. The shorter days may have an impact on fire spread as the burning period decreases. Predicted rain (as much as 1 inch in some areas) should have a positive impact on firefighting efforts.

Firefighting Efforts by Division: (Refer to the map for division breakdown.)

Additional crews may be working in division A on the north of the fire today. Previous burnouts look good and secure. The area around Badger Butte continues to pose challenges due to terrain and snags but progress is being made. Green islands inside the fire perimeter in Division A may produce smoke as they burn. Crews continue to mop up and patrol for hotspots.

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 in these divisions.

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.

Much of the perimeter in Division S has checked 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 been checked on existing roads. Canadian crews assisting in this division have been a great asset. Crew work is primarily patrol and cold trail along those roads. Cold trailing is a method of controlling a partly dead fire edge by carefully inspecting and feeling with the hands for heat to detect any fire, digging out every live spot, and trenching any live fire edge. In particular, firefighters are looking for any spread across roadways. Spot fires in this division have been contained.

Division W has no crews assigned due to higher priorities elsewhere, but supervisors continue to assess needs for future work.

In Divisions Y and Z, the focus is patrol for spot fires and mop up. In Division Z, an indirect line is being prepped and improved. Heavy equipment work continues along the 46 Road as it is prepped for possible use in indirect attack. The 46 Road remains closed due to the large amount of heavy equipment required for this effort. This road may remain closed until snag hazards are cleared and the road is deemed safe for public travel.

Contingency groups are improving indirect fireline. The south contingency group is working along County Road 12 to County Road 20, creating fuel breaks along the road. 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.

Air operations will support efforts in Divisions A and Z today.

Weather & Fuel Conditions: Today may be mostly cloudy with winds on the increase as a low-pressure system approaches. Winds from the southwest will increase with sustained winds around 8-12 mph and gusts to 20 mph along ridgetops and drainages that run southwest-northeast. Wet and windy conditions are predicted Wednesday through Friday. Rain may develop over the fire late Wednesday afternoon and increase through the night. Rainfall accumulations of 1.25-1.5 inches are expected west of the Cascade crest and 0.5-0.6 inches for the east side of the fire.

Closures and Evacuations: Evacuation Notices remain in place for the Lionshead Fire. Level 3 “Go!” evacuation notices are still in place for the communities of Detroit, Idanha, and Breitenbush. There are no longer any evacuation notices for the Sidwalter/Miller flats area.

Roads and trails near the fire remain closed for public safety. The 12 Road may remain closed to the public for the near future. This includes roads and trails on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Spring lands adjacent to the fire and a 40-mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail between Santiam Pass and Olallie Lake. Forest closures are in place for Deschutes, Mt. Hood and Willamette National Forests: Deschutes NF Alerts Willamette NF Alerts Mt. Hood NF Alerts.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the Lionshead Fire and surrounding fires. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Whenever a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit knowbeforeyoufly.org.

Reminder: Schools re-open TODAY, September 22, 2020.

Lionshead Fire Statistics:

Size: 199,016 acres

Containment: 13%

Total Personnel: 1,029

Location: 14 miles west of Warm Springs

Reported: 8/16/20, approximately 8:44 p.m.

Cause: Lightning

For More Information:

Information Office: 971-277-5075, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Media Inquiries: 541-904-0542

Email: 2020.lionshead@firenet.gov