Acres: Crazy Creek: 82,279 | 498/Kitty Creek: 73
Start Date: July 22, 2024
Location: Crazy Creek: 5 miles north of Paulina, OR | 498/Kitty Creek: 7 miles south of Mitchell, OR
Personnel: 641
Containment: Crazy Creek: 60% | 498/Kitty Creek: 100%
Fuels: Timber and short grass
Highlights: While the number of burned acres increased by 1,194 acres from Saturday morning to a total of 82,279 acres today, the Crazy Creek Fire’s perimeter remained the same. Containment also stayed at 60 percent. The increased acreage was attributed to pockets of vegetation that burned inside the fire’s existing perimeter.
Crews made good progress in fortifying the fire’s containment lines to the south, west, and north by extinguishing isolated hot spots and clearing flammable debris using hand tools and control burning tactics. Containment lines widened in some areas as much as 100 feet.
To the northeast, rugged terrain and intense fire behavior relegated firefighters to indirect suppression tactics, constructing containment lines further away from the active fire and conducting backfiring operations overnight, where crews burned vegetation from containment lines inward toward the fire to reduce available fuels. Winds forecasted out of the southwest today are expected to challenge this section of the fire, which remains mostly uncontained.
Evacuations: Evacuation orders remain in effect for areas in Crook and Wheeler Counties for areas in or near the fire. Level 3 evacuations have extended from the Forest Boundary to Highway 380. Level 2 evacuations have extended south of Highway 380. For further information, please refer to the Crook County Office of Emergency Management evacuation map.
Weather: Hot, dry weather continues through the weekend across the region with temperatures in the high 80s to low 90s, light wind and low humidity.
Importance of Fire Prevention: All public lands in Central Oregon, to include the Ochoco National Forest are in Stage 2 Public Use (Fire) Restrictions. All open flames, including woodstoves and charcoal briquette fires are prohibited. In times of high fire danger, it is crucial for everyone to follow fire prevention measures to avoid additional strain on overburdened resources. The public’s cooperation in adhering to fire bans and restrictions is vital to prevent new fires from starting and to help our firefighters focus on containing the existing fires. Learn more at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices/?aid=89068.
Fire Restrictions and Closures: The Ochoco National Forest has implemented a forest closure for the Paulina Ranger District. More information can be found at fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices/?aid=89203. Bureau of Land Management has issued a temporary closure for public lands in Crook and Grant Counties. More information is available at https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2024-08/orwa-fpo-pri-paulina080224.pdf.
More Information:
InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orocf-crazy-creek
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SWIMT5
Central Oregon Wildfire Information: https://centraloregonfire.org/
Crook County Emergency Information Map: https://arcg.is/1ij0vb
