Springfield, Ore. – With containment reaching 50 percent, firefighters on the Holiday Farm Fire are once again preparing for another change in the weather.
After days of wetting rain and cool temperatures, warm and dry east winds will enter the area later today pushing temperatures into the mid 80’s through Wednesday. Fire managers are cautiously optimistic that work accomplished so far will result in similar results from the last time these conditions tested control lines just four days ago. That east wind event fanned flames and stirred up embers deep inside the fire’s interior, but did not create any problems outside established containment lines.
The incident management team and local fire agencies are receiving several inquiries regarding small columns of smoke coming out of the Holiday Farm Fire that appear to be outside containment lines. Please be assured that these “smokes” are well within the perimeter of the fire and pose minimal threat to crossing containment lines or threatening homes. Over 500 firefighters are still working on the fire, gridding areas and extinguishing hot spots. Reconnaissance helicopters and engine patrols are also being used to monitor the fire area throughout the day, and should something of concern flare up, suppression helicopters are still available to respond at a moment’s notice. These small columns of smoke within the interior of the fire could continue to be visible well into the winter months, but again, pose no threat. Please do not report these smokes to emergency services as they overload the system and create unnecessary response.
Hazard tree and debris removal will continue along Highway 126, but local motor vehicle traffic will be allowed through with a pilot car along a 10-mile stretch between mileposts 28 and 38.
For more information regarding road closures and delays, visit https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Pages/Wildfire.aspx or www.tripcheck.com.
