BEACHIE CREEK FIRE UPDATE – September 22, 2020
Acres: 192,775 acres Percent Containment: 38%
Start Date: August 16, 2020 Cause: Under Investigation
Origin Location: Opal Creek Wilderness: Fuels: Timber and logging slash
two miles south of Jawbone Flats, Resources: 788
six miles north of Detroit, Oregon. Flights: Temporary Flight Restriction
Virtual Community Meeting Beachie Creek Fire, Tuesday, September 22, 6 pm,
Beachie Creek Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/BeachieCreekFire2020
Firefighters securing areas around private property Tuesday
Big Push – Prepping for Wednesday winds and rain
Salem, Ore. – Firefighters take advance of favorable weather conditions Tuesday by securing lands adjacent to private property. They are creating defensible space by clearing ground that prevents the spread of wildfire. Today will be the best day to detect and destroy isolated hotspots from within the fire perimeter. Crews are right on the fire’s edge securing and connecting control lines. Heavy Equipment is also being used, especially on the western edge to build stronger control line.
The focus on Tuesday is to make a strong push to prepare all areas of the fire in advance of Wednesday’s predicted wind and rain. The winds will start Wednesday morning at about 12 miles per hour, and by noon gust as high as 40 miles per hour. Rain will follow. The winds will be strong enough to blow weakened or burned trees over. Additional rain could cause rockslides, mudslides, and other falling hazards. The Marion County Sherriff deputies and fire personnel are advising residents about the impact of weather after fire.
Although good progress has been achieved around the Beachie Creek fire perimeter, internal hot spots remain. On the western side of the fire, the land is flat and more accessible to firefighters who are protecting those communities. Crews work to keep the fire east of highways 213 and 214. There will be many days of work ahead to reach a sloid containment line from the north, down the western edge and then moving through the southern State Route 22 corridor. The terrain on the eastern side of the fire is rugged with deep canyons and high ridges. That side of the fire is in and near Wilderness and being monitored by air.
Currently 1,118 structures are at Level 3 evacuations and another 4,574 are in level 2 evacuations. As more residents are allowed back into the area, it is imperative that everyone heeds road closures and safety messages. Anyone who enters the fire perimeter jeopardizes firefighting operations and puts lives at risk.
The Willamette National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, and State lands around the fire remain closed to the public. Go to InciWeb.gov for more information about closures in the area.
| Public Contact Information: Facebook.com/BeachieCreekFire2020 Email: 2020.beachiecreek@firenet.gov Phone: 541-583-0526, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Inciweb https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7001/ Smoke and Air Quality https://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/p/air-quality-now.html https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks |
