Firefighters Hold Juniper Creek Fire Overnight within Dozer Lines at 106 Acres
SISTERS, Ore. – Firefighters from the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, local fire districts, Lake Chinook Fire & Rescue, contractors, and local partners have held the Juniper Creek Fire through the night.
Firefighter efforts today focus on establishing water supply to the fire’s edge and securing the control line completely around the fire and patrolling for hot spots. ODF’s Multi Mission Aircraft is currently flying over the area utilizing infrared and thermal sensors to map the fire area while looking for spot fires and problem areas. A thick layer of smoke will limit further aircraft use.
Evacuation levels will remain as the team evaluates the fire and weather conditions this afternoon.
Control line is the term used to describe dozer and hand line used to create a fire break. Containment is still at 0%.
The Juniper Creek Fire is located near the Three River area west of Lake Billy Chinook. It’s 16 miles northeast of Sisters on ODF-protected lands. It is burning southeast of the 2055 road in Township Range 16 and 21, which is South of Graham Road.
ODF has one helicopter, five dozers, two skidgines, ten engines, two tenders and around 100 personnel providing initial attack. A portion of these resources are from an ODF strike team that was prepositioned to the area to provide capacity for just this purpose.
Evacuations: A Level 3 (go now) evacuation remains in place through the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (www.jeffco.net/sheriff) for: 590 A road Jordan to the gravel dump west of the 590 A road South in Geneva RD past the cemetery. Fire officials are asking the public to avoid travelling on area roads near the fire to allow for emergency responders and equipment to reach the fire. For information about evacuations, contact Sergeant David Pond at 541-475-6520 or [email protected].
The fire started sometime around 11:00 am on Sunday, August 20, 2023. The cause is under investigation.
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