Firefighters on the Falls Fire in Harney County will work in the northwest corner on Sunday as the fire has grown to 114,236 acres and remains 10 percent contained. Crews will continue constructing and securing direct dozer line along Forest Service Road 4785 and building secondary contingency line on Forest Service Road 4781 out to Snow Mountain. Near Forest Service Road 3750 and Forest Service 47, firefighters will continue to extinguish heat sources along control lines and prepare for a small tactical burnout operation to secure a previous slop-over in that area. Crews are looking for opportunities to build control lines in the Donivan and Alsup Mountain areas. Going further east along the northern flank, dozer and hand line construction will continue along Forest Service Road 3750 to connect control lines into Forest Service Road 37 and Forest Service Road 31.
Firefighters are preparing to conduct a series of tactical burnout operations along this road system to secure control lines when conditions are favorable. On the northeastern corner of the fire, just south of Myrtle Park Meadows, mop-up work will continue on a 200-acre slop-over along the Forest Service Road 31 Road. Structure crews will support burnout operations and continue hardening surface prep at cabins and homes off Forest Service Road 37.
Further north, away from the fire perimeter, crews are constructing a planned secondary contingency line along Forest Service Road 37 just west of Hwy 395 in the Fisk Gulch area. This secondary contingency line is part of an alternate plan and will run east to west using portions of Forest Service Roads 37 and 31. In the southern and western sections of the fire, much of the established control line that extends from the southeast corner over to the western flank, firefighters will continue to hold, improve, and mop-up control lines.
Firefighters and OSFM task force resources will focus on a concentration of hotspots in the Red Hill area. On Sunday, OSFM crews will continue to reevaluate assessments and harden structures to ensure they are well protected should they become threatened.
A Red Flag Warning remains in place for dry and unstable conditions. The fire weather forecast calls for clearer air and a dry front to move in over the area causing winds to increase with a 10 percent chance for thunderstorms in the early afternoon. Winds will be from the east and breezier than the last couple of days with the chance of gusty outflow winds should thunderstorms develop. A Heat Advisory remains in effect into Monday with temperatures approaching 100 degrees. These conditions have the potential to produce rapid fire growth.
On Saturday for the third consecutive day fire growth on the Falls Fire was moderated by a persistent heavy smoke layer keeping wind and temperatures lower over the fire. Night and day shift operations took advantage of the opportunity to build more direct and indirect containment lines and mopping up. The fire remains approximately 13 miles north of Burns, 11 miles southwest of Seneca, 7.5 miles south of Izee, and 3 miles west of Highway 395.
In the northwest corner of the fire, firefighters worked on securing line and mopping up small spots over Forest Service Road 47. Resources continued constructing direct line with dozers and hand crews on Forest Service Road 4785 toward Burnt Mountain. Construction of secondary contingency dozer line is nearly complete to the west near Snow Mountain along Forest Service Road 4781. Firefighters scouted for additional secondary line both north and south off Forest Service Road 4781. Structure crews continued to remove or minimize vegetation and other fuel sources around homes and ranches in the Izee Valley. Along the northern flank, heading toward the northeast corner of the fire, crews and dozers continued to establish control line along Forest Service Road 3750 working easterly to connect into Forest Service Road 37 and Forest Service Road 31. Preparation continues for a small tactical burnout operation east of FSR 31 south of Myrtle Park Meadows to strengthen control lines.
Structure crews supported burnout operations and continued hardening surface prep at cabins and homes off FSR 37. Crews lined and controlled some additional spots in the area with support from helicopter bucket drops. Control lines along much of the southern portions of Forest Service Road 31 and west to Forest Service Road 43, continued to hold firm as mop-up operations are ongoing. Oregon State Fire Marshal crews positioned along Forest Service Road 31 assisted with mop-up and conducted patrols along existing lines.
EVACUATIONS
Evacuation notices remain in effect in Grant and Harney counties. For accurate evacuation information, please visit the Harney County Sheriff’s evacuation map or the Grant County Emergency Management Facebook page.
The Malheur National Forest issued a fire area closure. A detailed map and additional information about the fire area closure can be found here.
A temporary flight restriction (TFR) remains in place over the fire area.