Oregon wildfire updates: Bedrock Fire surpasses 10,000 acres, biggest fire 14% contained

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Updated at 4 p.m. Tuesday, August 1.

Three large wildfires are drawing Oregon resources and efforts. Here's the update on the fires throughout the state:

Bedrock Fire grows to 10,659 acres, major closure expands in Willamette National Forest

The now 10,659-acre Bedrock Fire in Lane County prompted an expansion of the emergency closure to include all recreation sites upstream of Fall Creek Reservoir.

A full list of trails, campgrounds, recreation sites and trailheads are included in the closure order from the Forest Service. The forest also is under a level 1 fire restriction and “very high” fire danger warning.

The fire has spread to the east and north up Fall Creek and continues uphill. Following a pattern, the fire has spread less than 1,000 acres a day, according to the Forest Service. The Bedrock Fire is at 3% containment.

Crews are working to establish fire lines on the southwest, west and north of the fire’s edges. The Bedrock Fire basecamp relocated Monday night to the Pleasant Hill area just south of Jasper. Motorists are asked to be mindful of the growing traffic growing in the area.

An air quality advisory for parts of Lane and Deschutes counties remains in effect until this afternoon. Smoky conditions are expected, especially along Highway 97. Tuesday's air quality updates:

• Oakridge should have heavy smoke into this afternoon. It is expected to clear up in the evening.

• La Pine is expected to have unhealthy conditions from the smoke until conditions start to clear tonight.

• Conditions in Redmond to Sunriver are forecast at good to moderate for most of the day.

• Moderate conditions are expected along the McKenzie Highway from Blue River to Sisters.

• Walterville, Lowell and other areas west of the Bedrock Fire also will have moderate air quality until this afternoon.

“Fuels are abnormally dry for this time of the season due to drought," fire behavior analyst Dean Warner said in explaining why the fire has been so active in late July. "Drier fuels take less energy to ignite, and burn more rapidly and intensely than wetter fuels.”

Three public meetings will be held over Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday, a meeting at Lowell High School will take place at 5 p.m. and be live-streamed on the Bedrock Fire 2023 Facebook. Also on Tuesday, a meeting at 7:30 p.m. will be held at Oakridge High School. On Wednesday, McKenzie High School will host another meeting open to the community at 6 p.m.

Fire officials have asked the public for any information about how the fire ignited July 22 at the Bedrock Campground, in an area that previously sat as a mix of burned and untouched forest.

"The Forest Service asks that the public recall any information, photography, or videos they may have from their visit to the area where the fire began on July 22. Any information can assist investigators in determining the cause of the fire," a news release said. "Please submit any information that could assist fire investigation efforts to SM.FS.R6TipHotLine@usda.gov."

Grossman Fire grows to 153 acres overnight

A new fire was reported 4 miles west of Promise and 18 miles northeast of Elgin on Monday evening. The Grossman Fire grew to 153 acres by Tuesday morning, but lines were held overnight with low fire behavior according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.

One outbuilding has been destroyed, but no evacuation notifications had been issued as Tuesday afternoon.

Flat Fire grows to 14% containment 

More than 1,500 fire personnel are assigned to the Flat Fire burning near the town of Agness and the confluence of the Illinois and Rogue rivers. The acreage was listed at 25,573 today with containment at 14%.

Using a mix of equipment from the ground and air, crews are continuing to push the main fire toward a prepared fire line. That strategy gives more controlled conditions for the fire team. Another burn-out operation east of Game Lake was finished Monday.

“Resources no longer needed for remaining suppressions efforts are being released to return home," a Tuesday update said. "Structure protection resources continue scouting for and identifying additional homes and buildings and are collecting data to aid firefighters in protecting structures if there is a future need."

The Flat Fire is listed as "human-caused" and under investigation. It ignited at Oak Flat Campground. No other details have been released.

There is a large closure area and a level 1 evacuation warning — meaning "Get Ready" from Agness to Quosatana Creek. Curry County also is sending evacuation notices utilizing Everbridge, which provides notices through phone. All evacuation notices resulting from the fire were lowered to level 1 on Monday.

Pacific Northwest Team 3 — a team tasked with managing some of the nation's largest and most complex fires — took over management of the fire last week.

A fire line starts at Game Lake and stretches east over the Kalmiopsis Wilderness to its northern boundary. The fire team also will move resources toward the fire’s perimeter to establish lines.

Golden Fire burned 43 homes, may have ignited from illegal marijuana grow

The Golden Fire east of Klamath Falls started July 22 has burnt 2,137 acres of public and private timber and grazing land as of this morning. Containment is at 64%.

All evacuation orders for the Golden Fire were lifted Tuesday by the Klamath County Sheriff's Office. The Red Cross evacuation shelter at Bonazna High School was also closed following the announcement.

Command of the fire transitioned back to local agencies Tuesday. The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal Blue Team demobilized on July 27 after "the threat to the community and structures were mitigated," according to a Tuesday update. In between, patrolling the perimeter and all mop-up operations was led by the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 2.

The fire team is working inside of the fire perimeter near unburned areas. Over the next several days, crews from Pacific Power and Lumen will also help with repairs.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal said a structure damage assessment was completed and the Golden Fire showed that 48 residences near the town of Bonanza were destroyed. More than 69 outbuildings also were lost to the fire.

The fire also significantly damaged a fiber optic line affecting most of the 8,200 residents in neighboring Lake County, causing a loss of 911 service, internet and phone service. In turn, emergency services were impacted including Lake County Emergency Dispatch Center, Lake District Hospital, commerce, and banking.

Several state agencies worked with Lake County Emergency Management after being activated by the governor to respond to the outage.

911 calls were being rerouted to Klamath County, and county emergency officials have been working with multiple state agencies to restore emergency connections, commissioners said. Temporary internet towers also have put up and are providing services.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Klamath County Sheriff’s office said. The blaze may have started on private property being used to grow marijuana illegally, law enforcement officials said.

Grade Fire burns 300 acres

Fueled by grass and mixed junipers near Kah-Nee-Ta Hot Springs, the 300-acre Grade Fire was reported Monday night. Warm Springs crews brought containment of the fire to 50% by reportedly using leaf blowers, according to an update from Wildland Fire Management for Warm Springs.

Another hand crew was being brought in Tuesday to help with mop-up efforts.

Fern Ridge Road Fire pops up near Lyons

The Fern Ridge Road Fire, near Fern Ridge Road Southeast and Siegmund Road Southeast just north of Highway 22 near Lyons, was first reported midday Tuesday.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, it was estimated to be 32 acres and crews were focused on mop-up efforts.

“As of right now, there are structures in the area but they are not threatened,” Trent Tegen with the Stayton Fire District said.

The Oregon Department of Forestry has asked community members to avoid the area while crews work.

Rise in human-caused fires

Since the start of June, 197 fires caused by human activity or an undetermined start have sprung up across Oregon and Washington. That number has more than doubled from summer 2022 when there were 86 human-caused or undetermined fires recorded, according to the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service.

"While the explanation for this change is unknown, one thing is clear. Human-caused fires are preventable," the agency said, noting firefighters working on human-caused wildfires have less capacity to respond to new fires.

The U.S. Forest Service sent out a warning July 26 that fire danger was high across the Northwest and likely to climb.

The agency's news release said in part: "This situation poses a significant risk of wildfires, and residents of Oregon and Washington are urged to take precautions to prevent human-caused wildfire starts."

The Forest Service encourages outdoor enthusiasts take the following steps:

• Prevent human-caused wildfire starts. To report a wildfire, call 911.

• Keep an eye on smoke forecasts and plan outdoor recreation accordingly.

• Stay informed of fire restrictions and fire closures before heading out.

-The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Abigail Landwehr is an outdoors journalism intern for the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at alandwehr@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon wildfires: Bedrock Fire surpasses 10,000 acres