Golden Fire morning update for July 26; Structure teams begin demobilization
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At a community meeting on Tuesday evening held at Bonanza Jr./Sr. High School, a fire official speaks with a concerned landowner about the Golden Fire’s footprint north of Bonanza, Oregon on Bly Mountain. July 25, 2023 (Image: Brian Gailey)
FIRE DETAILS
CAUSE:
Under investigation
SIZE: 2,112 acres
CONTAINMENT: 15%
START DATE:
July 22, 2023
EXPECTED CONTAINMENT DATE: August 7, 2023
LOCATION:
Bonanza, Oregon
Bly Mountain
INCIDENT COMMAND:
Unified Command
RESOURCES:
Aircraft: 12 helicopters
Hand crews: 14
Engines: 47
Dozers: 4
Water Tenders: 14
Personnel: 635
STUCTURES:
Threatened: 317
Destroyed:
43 Primary, 43 outbuildings
FUELS:
Short grass. Timber. Dry, mixed conifer forest with mixed understory consisting of brush and grass. Pockets of dense stands with significant fuel buildup beneath.
Est. Cost: $4,500,000
Last Updated:
11:30 AM, 7/26/23
BONANZA, Ore. – Crews have made significant progress on the Golden Fire. Containment has increased to 15% and the fire perimeter is now fully lined. Crews continued mop-up operations through the night and checked for hot spots.
Today, crews will continue to secure, improve, and hold control lines. Mop-up operations will continue, working toward the goal of 100% containment. Due to successful mop-up operations, electric utility contractors and fiber optic employees now have access to safely restore connectivity to residents in the coming days.
Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) resources will wrap up their work, expanding mop-up to 50 feet around structures and assisting wildland partners. OSFM resources will begin demobilizing three task forces this morning, leaving three structural task forces assigned to the fire. All remaining OSFM task forces and the Incident Management Blue Team will head back to their home agencies tomorrow.
Last night, fire officials held a meeting at Bonanza School, with approximately 125 attendees. The Incident Management Teams appreciate the impressive community participation and support. Attendees expressed their gratitude for the rapid response and hard work of local agencies, OSFM and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) resources, and wildland fire partners.
Evacuations
Evacuation orders remain in place, but levels have decreased.
Level 3 (GO NOW)
The evacuation area is now reduced to a quarter-mile perimeter around the fire and the interior of the fire.
Evacuation is maintained along Hummingbird Drive and Sandpiper Drive.
Level 2 (SET)
West of Bechdoldt Flat Rd, south of Racoon Lane, Jaguar Lane, and east 3-4 miles to the powerline corridor.
Level 1 (READY)
West of Highway 140 to Golden Eagle Drive and north to Parrot Drive.
American Red Cross and Klamath County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) have established an evacuation shelter at: Bonanza School, 31601 Mission Street, Bonanza, OR 97623. For the latest evacuation information call the Klamath County hotline (541) 205-9730. To sign up for Klamath County alerts, visit http://alerts.klamathcounty.org.
A firefighter uses water to mop-up a hot spot on the interior of the Golden Fire. (Image: Golden Fire PIO)
Investigation
Klamath County Sherriff’s Office has released a statement ruling out a marijuana grow as the cause of the fire. The cause remains under investigation.
Weather
Today’s weather will generate the potential for active fire behavior. Wind and low relative humidity (RH) will produce critical fire weather over the fire area. High temps, low RH, and windy afternoon conditions will persist for the next several days.
Fire officials from the South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership have increased the fire danger level of Klamath and Lake Counties to EXTREME.
Weather Concerns:
High temps, low RH, and windy afternoon conditions will persist for the next several days. Possible wind switch from the north in 3-4 days that could test the fires containment level.
Maps
Golden Fire, Public Information Map as of July 24, 2023. Click to enlarge.
Golden Fire evacuation map as of July 25, 2023. Click to enlarge.
An infrared flight over the Golden Fire on July 23, 2023 has mapped the fire at 2,052 acres. Click to enlarge.
Outlook
Planned Actions:
Hold and improve current containment lines. Assess and mitigate hazards. Begin mop-up where possible. Maintain point protection on structures, and critical infrastructure.
Projected incident activity:
12-24 hours: High potential for spread especially with slop-overs or spot fires. High temps, low RH, and windy conditions persist.
Remarks:
Fiber optic lines for major portions of Klamath and Lake Counties were severed as a result of the fire causing the loss of 911 and LIFC inter-agency dispatch center operations, Lakeview Hospital, Lakeview pharmacy, county-wide internet, and phone service. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Conflagration Act on 7/22/23 for the Golden Fire. OSFM has delegations of authority from both Klamath County Fire District #5 and the County of Klamath. OSFM's costs to date are $687,000.
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