Crews have made significant progress on the Golden Fire in Klamath County. Containment has increased to 15 percent and the fire perimeter is now fully lined. Crews continued mop-up operations through the night Tuesday and checked for hot spots. On Wednesday, crews will continue to secure, improve, and hold control lines. Mop-up operations will continue, working toward the goal of 100% containment. Because of successful mop-up operations, electric utility contractors and fiber optic employees now have access to safely restore connectivity to residents in the coming days.
The resources mobilized by the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) will wrap up their work, expanding mop-up to 50 feet around structures and assisting wildland partners. The OSFM resources will begin demobilizing three task forces Wednesday morning, leaving three structural task forces assigned to the fire. All remaining OSFM task forces and the Incident Management Blue Team will head back to their home agencies Thursday.
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office released a statement ruling out a marijuana grow as the fire’s cause. The cause remains under investigation.
On Tuesday night, fire officials held a meeting at Bonanza School with approximately 125 attendees. The incident management teams appreciate the impressive community participation and support. Attendees expressed gratitude for the rapid response and hard work of local agencies, the OSFM and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) resources, and wildland fire partners.
Additional updates can be found at www.facebook.com/goldenfire2023/.
Weather: Wednesday’s weather will generate the potential for active fire behavior. Wind and low relative humidity will produce critical fire weather over the fire area. High temps, low relative humidity, and windy afternoon conditions will persist for the next several days.
Evacuations: Evacuation orders remain in place but levels have decreased.
The American Red Cross and Klamath County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) established an evacuation shelter at Bonanza School, 31601 Mission Street, Bonanza, OR. For the latest evacuation information call the Klamath County hotline at 541-205-9730. To sign up for Klamath County alerts, visit alerts.klamathcounty.org.
QUICK FACTS:
Location: North of Bonanza, Oregon
Size: 2,112 acres
Containment: 15%
Expected Containment Date: August 7, 2023
Cause: Under investigation
Est. Cost: $4,500,000.00
Personnel: 635
Resources: 14 hand crews, 47 engines, 4 dozers, 14 water tenders
Aircraft: 7
Evacuations: Level 3 (GO NOW)- evacuation area is now reduced to a quarter-mile perimeter around the fire and the interior of the fire. Evacuation is maintained along Hummingbird Drive and Sandpiper Drive. Level 2 (SET)- West of Bechdoldt Flat Rd, south of Racoon Lane, Jaguar Lane, and east 3-4 miles to the powerline corridor. Level 1 (READY)- West of Highway 140 to Golden Eagle Drive and north to Parrot Drive.
Structures Threatened: 317
Primary Structures Destroyed: 43
Outbuildings Destroyed: 43
Closures: None