MITCHELL, Ore. – Firefighters on the Shoe Fly Fire have completed perimeter control and are turning efforts to mop up and suppression repair work. The fire is 26,502 acres with 32% containment.
Incident Commander Joe Hessel told firefighters and landowners at Tuesday morning’s briefing, “We have turned the corner on the fire, we aren’t trying to chase and catch it anymore. Now it’s time to focus on a thorough, coordinated, methodical mop up around the fire.”
There is nearly 100 miles of fire perimeter to be mopped up. Some areas of the fire are just starting the process, while other parts range from 25 to 100 feet of cold black along the fire edge.
As firefighters mop up around the fire, they will also begin suppression repair work to limit impacts to soil and water quality. Water bars will be installed on steep portions of fireline, slowing and diverting water into green vegetation to filter sediment. Dirt berms, which could prevent water flow, will be flattened to mimic natural land features. Crews are beginning to back haul un-needed fire hose and equipment from the fireline to be cleaned, inspected and refurbished for deployment to other incidents.
Today as a cold front moves in, there is the potential for thunderstorms as well as increased winds with gusts up to 25 miles per hour on the fire. Fire behavior will increase with these winds, testing fire lines. This will help firefighters locate hotspots. Smoke and flames may be visible across the fire as trees and other unburned vegetation within the interior of the fire are consumed.
Evacuation notices for residents around the fire remain unchanged and continue to be evaluated by the Wheeler County Sheriff, Wheeler County Fire Defense Board Chief, and Team 1 Operations personnel. More information on current evacuations is available at https://tinyurl.com/RAPTOR-Evacuation-Info
Utility outages in Wheeler County and the city of Mitchell are not related to fire activity on the Shoe Fly Fire.
With increased containment on the fire, some resources are being released to return home for rest or are being reassigned to other incidents in the area.
