Bootleg Fire doubles in size in 24-hours, now 38,892 acres

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Bootleg Fire morning update for July 9, 2021

The #BootlegFire burns aggressively 11 miles northeast of Sprague River, Oregon. (Image: Kyle Montgomery, Twitter)

The #BootlegFire burns aggressively 11 miles northeast of Sprague River, Oregon. (Image: Kyle Montgomery, Twitter)

FIRE DETAILS

Cause:
Under investigation

Size:
38,892 Acres

Containment: 0%

Location:
11 Miles northeast of Sprague River, Oregon

Resources:
Hand crews 19
Engines 22
Dozers 2
Water Tenders 3

Aircraft:
Helicopters 10

Initial Report:
1:45 PM, July 6, 2021

Coverage of the 2021 Wildfire Season is brought to you by Ace Towing.

The Bootleg Fire more than doubles in size in the last 24-hours, growing to 38,892 acres (over 60 square miles) with no containment. The fire burns on the Fremont-Winema National Forest and private lands north of the towns of Sprague River and Beatty.

Although the Red Flag Warning is no longer in effect, weather conditions overnight and through today continue to allow for extreme fire behavior. Additional resources have been ordered and continue to arrive.

Firefighters continued their efforts to identify defensible locations for effective fire breaks and to safely engage the fire. Crews were successful at limiting the spread along the southern edge. However, during the day and into the evening, wind-driven extreme fire behavior resulted in active fire growth to the east.

Officials are in the process of assessing the impacts of yesterday’s fire spread.

TODAY’S OPERATIONS

In addition to ongoing daytime operations, more crews are being assigned to the night shift when conditions are more favorable for effective firefighting.

As part of the unified command and in addition to the wildland firefighting efforts underway, the Office of the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Green Incident Management Team remains on the scene with 3 taskforces focused on structural triage and, when possible, creating defensible space around structures on both day and night shift.

Today, 2 more structural strike teams from California and an Oregon taskforce have arrived, with additional resources on order.

EVACUATION INFORMATION

At the recommendation of the Bootleg Fire Incident Commander, the following are the current evacuation levels issued by Klamath County Emergency Management:

Level 3 (Go) – Leave immediately

  • North of the town of Beatty. North end of Godawa Springs Road north of the rock quarry.

  • Near the town of Sprague River. Upper Tableland area north of Oregon Pines Road.

  • North of the town of Beatty. Sycan Estates area.

Level 2 (Get Set) - Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice

  • North of the town of Beatty. The area north of Highway 140, on both sides of Godowa Springs Road, south of the rock quarry.

  • North of the town of Sprague River. Klamath Forest Estates/Moccasin Hills area.

Evacuation Center
Klamath County Fairgrounds (in Klamath Falls), South 6th Street entrance only.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

A community meeting will be held at 7:00 PM, July 9, 2021, at the Chiloquin Community Center. The public can attend the meeting in person or watch the meeting on Facebook Live via the SCOFMP Fire Info, Northwest Team 10, and Fremont-Winema National Forest Facebook pages.

BOOTLEG FIRE MAPS

Map of the #BootlegFire. Additional fire maps available at https://www.klamathfallsnews.org/maps

Regional map of the #BootlegFire. Additional fire maps available at https://www.klamathfallsnews.org/maps

Bootleg Fire, public information map with evacuation zones. Red = Level 3, Yellow = Level 2 as of 5:00 PM, 7/8/21. Click to enlarge.

Map of the Emergency Fire Closure [click to enlarge]

CLOSURES

The Fremont-Winema National Forest issued emergency fire closure order 06-02-21-03 for the area between Forest Road 4542 on the western edge, along Forest Roads 45 and 46 on the northern edge to Forest Road 27 on the eastern side.  Then to the junction with Forest Road 3462, heading west to the junction with Forest Road 3445, then south to the Forest Boundary, following the Boundary west to Forest Road 44 and then north to the junction with Forest Road 4542.  Forest Road 44 is also closed between the Sprague River Road and Forest Road 4542.


SAFETY MESSAGE

Watch for increased fire equipment traffic on area roads and highways, particularly in the Chiloquin area – use cation and drive defensively!

For the latest evacuation information, visit https://www.facebook.com/KlamathCountyGov.  To sign up for Klamath County alerts, visit http://alerts.klamathcounty.org.

South Central Oregon is continuing to have an active and early fire season.  Area residents and visitors are asked to use extreme caution with anything that could spark a wildfire.  Suspected wildfires should be reported immediately to 911.

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

Extreme, crowning, short crown runs, short-range spotting. The fire is making runs to the southwest, west, and north, primarily fuel-driven due to extreme, prolonged drought. the fire is continuing to back and flank down the sides of Fuego Mt.

CURRENT WEATHER

Well above normal temps to continue through the middle of next week as an upper level high is moving through the area.

OUTLOOK

Planned actions
Assess for suppression opportunities and monitor fire until safe to engage.

Projected incident activity
The fire will continue to move unchecked in all directions, with unstable air conditions and extremely dry fuels. Energy release components in fuels are at an all-time high. The potential for a pyro-cumulus is likely and spread will be dictated by it's effects. Continued persistent drought and dry conditions will encourage spotting and increase resistance to control.

Information is provided by the Fremont-Winema National Forest, Klamath County Emergency Management, Oregon Department of Forestry, and Northwest IMT 10 is current as of 12:00 PM, July 9, 2021.

Klamath Falls News will continue to follow the situation and provide updates as they become available.

Klamath Falls News & Cascade Firewatch’s coverage of the 2021 Wildfire Season is brought to you by Ace Towing.

Ace Towing offers 24-hour emergency roadside assistance, collision towing, jump starts, lockouts, fuel, and tire changes. They also make automotive keys and program fobs too. 541-884-9388.

We are currently looking for additional sponsors for coverage of the 2021 Fire Season. Would your business like to sponsor our coverage of the 2021 Wildfire Season? Send us a note at klamathfallsnews.org/contact for more information.