Bootleg Fire tops 400,000 acres; New evacuations in Lake County

Bootleg Fire update for July 23, 2021

Operations Update for Zone 2 of the #BootlegFire for Friday, July 23rd at 7:00 am. Terry Walter, Operations Section Chief gives an insight on the firefighting operations on the west, north and northeast portions of the fire. #fireseason2021

Favorable winds aided firefighters in in the northern section of the fire. Work continues today on the eastern side of the fire near Summer Lake.

FIRE DETAILS

Cause:
Lightning / Natural

Size:
400,389 Acres

Containment: 40%

Location:
South Central Oregon Klamath & Lake Counties

Total Personnel: 2,389

Resources:
Crews: 50
Engines: 197
Tenders: 80
Dozers: 42
Other Heavy Equip.: 28

Fuels:
Heavy Timber, grass, and understory.

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

Last Updated:
10:30 AM, July 23, 2021

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

Firefighters work around the clock both day and night, in their continous effeort to contain the 400k acre wildfire burning between Klamath Falls, Lakeview and Paisley, Oregon. (Image: Bootleg Fire Information Officer Brad Bramlett)

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The Oregon State Fire Marshall Incident Management Team has transitioned to working with Zone 2 on the north and northeast sections of the fire.

Yesterday, the fireline into Long Creek was improved with hose lay and overnight firefighters were able to begin constructing a direct line between Long Creek and Coyote Creek. Crews continue to work on the contingency lines in the northern portion of the fire above Sycan Marsh.

Fire activity picked up in the eastern portion of the fire and spotted over Forest Service Road 2901. Last night crews and equipment worked using natural barriers and changes in fuel to contain the spot and protect the Summer Lake community.

Crews will work today to hold those areas and scout for additional spots.

Due to the fire’s movement to the east, additional Level 3 evacuations were issued for a portion of Lake County, from the Paisley Airport to milepost 82, and from Picture Rock Pass to milepost 77, including the Ana Subdivision. This area is in addition to the previous Level 3 notification.

Click to enlarge. Visit the latest evacuation map at https://www.klamathfallsnews.org/bootleg-fire-evacuations

“Our firefighters have put in an incredible amount of hard work on this fire,” said Joe Hessel, Incident Commander for the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team. “The fire continues to throw challenges at us, and we are going to continue to stay vigilant, work hard, and adapt.”

On the southeastern portion of the fire, crews worked through the night. There were some half-acre slops across the fire line, jackpots of fuel, and unburned islands that actively burned through the night. Today, firefighters will continue to secure the fireline, hold, and improve the control features.

Firefighters are actively patrolling and mopping areas along the southern portion of the fire. This step is necessary to ensure that all heat that could threaten the security of the fire line has been extinguished. Resources continue to be shifted to meet the needs across the fire area.

Operations provided this video that taken yesterday while flying just south of Sycan Marsh. This view helps to understand why the fireline in that area is so varied. The timber stringers in this area have carried fire while the grassy fingers did not burn. Fires often burn in a mosaic pattern, burning some areas and bypassing others. This allows for faster regeneration and aids in the survival of forest animals.

Firefighters from this fire may be called to provide initial attack responses to new fire starts that have the potential to rapidly grow, given the extremely dry fuel conditions.

Winds are expected to shift over the fire area today from a westerly flow to winds from the north or northwest. While these winds will be light, any shift in weather is a heads-up situation for firefighters.

The Incident Command Post at Chiloquin High School is being dismantled today. Crews and resources have been repositioned to bases near Summer Lake and Paisley. This move will put crews and equipment closer to the active areas of the fire. The Incident Command Post will move to Klamath Falls and will be working out of the Klamath Community College.



EVACUATION INFORMATION

Evacuations are rapidly changing due to the nature of this wildfire. Visit the interactive evacuations map at klamathfallsnews.org/bootleg-fire-evacuations.

Evacuation Centers

  • Klamath County
    Thrive Church, 235 S. Laguna Street, Klamath Falls

  • Lake County
    Daly Middle School, 906 S 3rd St. Lakeview, Oregon

For information or assistance: 1-800-Red-Cross and Facebook @RedCrossCascades.

CLOSURES

The Fremont-Winema National Forest is closed to the public in the fire area. Map and full order are available here.

Smoke report. Click to enlarge.

SMOKE

Afternoon smoke impacts will continue to be high in areas north, northeast, and east of the fire, especially in the vicinity of Silver Lake, Summer Lake, and Paisley. Continuing SW winds will push smoke from the Bootleg Fire away from Lakeview, Klamath Falls and Sprague River Valley, but may bring some smoke from the Dixie Fire into the area.

Full report at: fires.airfire.org/outlooks/southcentraloregon.

PROJECTED INCIDENT ACTIVITY

The fire will continue to be extremely active with gusty winds and extremely dry fuels. Significant acreage increases potential on the northern and eastern sides of the fire. Rapid-fire spread with high-intensity fire behavior. Fire will continue to move East/Northeast. Significant amounts of smoke will be present during day and night.

WEATHER CONCERNS

Another dry and warm day across the fire area today. Relative humidity recoveries were lower as a result of building high pressure over the region before falling in the afternoon to the lower teens Temperatures rose into the upper 80s with lower to mid 80s above 6000ft. Winds were light and mainly out of the west.

HOW BIG IS THE FIRE?

As of, July 23, 2021, the Bootleg Fire is the largest fire burning in the United States at 400,389 acres. The fire is equal to 625.6 square miles. That is over two times larger than the entirety of Crater Lake National Park.

Location Acreage Square Miles
City of Klamath Falls, Ore 13,312 20.8
242 Fire, Chiloquin (2020) 14,473 22.6
Upper Klamath Lake 61,542 96.16
Archie Creek Fire, Douglas County (2020) 131,542 205.5
Crater Lake National Park 183,224 286.2
Bootleg Fire 400,389 625.6
Biscuit Fire, Josephine County (2002) 500,000 780
Long Draw Fire, Southeastern Oregon (2012) 557,028 870.4
State of Rhode Island 776,960 1,214
Klamath County 38,487,040 6,136

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 10:30 AM, July 23, 2021.



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