Monday night 8/22 around 6pm a wildland fire broke out on Forest Service Road 2500 east of Lincoln Beach. Currently an Oregon Department of Forestry Type 3 incident command team has taken over the incident.
Crews continued to make good progress yesterday on the 2500 fire and through the night. Clearing conditions allowed aircraft to work the fire into the evening. Today crews will work to establish containment lines around the perimeter of the fire. Crews continue to patrol for spot fires throughout the fire area.
The wind is expected to shift to the NW by this afternoon, with gusts up to 10 mph. This afternoon will be a good opportunity to use aircraft on the fire. The fire could also become more active as temperatures rise. Smoke may become more visible to the public. Over the next 24 hours the objective will be to establish containment lines around the fire while continuing to mop up inside the fire perimeter.
“Mop up” consists of extinguishing or removing burning material near control lines, falling snags, and trenching logs to prevent rolling after an area has burned, to make a fire safe, or to reduce residual smoke. This will prepare the fire to be tested by higher temperatures and east winds that are predicted to be here tomorrow.
This morning agency administrator Mike Totey commented to the crews that it is different at the coast. He was explaining to them that the vegetation is different than what they are used to when fighting fires. The mop up efforts will be different, and fighting fire is different than what fire crews are used to. Citizens are encouraged to be mindful of the heavy traffic in and around Depoe Bay. Fogarty Creek State Park will temporarily remain closed to the public while fire crews are utilizing it for fire camp. The incident command post is located at the Depoe Bay Fire & Rescue station. There are no evacuations currently in effect.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Oregon Department of Forestry currently has 279 personnel working on the fire, which is at about 200-acres right now. Citizens should always be aware of evacuation preparedness under any circumstance. It is important to have a go kit. For more preparedness information see the sheet from Lincoln County Emergency Management on Ready, Set, Go.
