The Golden Fire continues to burn 11 miles north of Bonanza. The fire is estimated to be 2,000 acres in size with no containment. The fire was reported Saturday afternoon around 1:02. The cause is still under investigation.
Firefighters worked overnight Saturday protecting homes and other buildings, and constructing dozer line, handline, and contingency lines. Sunday the focus will be protecting homes and working towards containment. The Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) sent two task forces through Immediate Response Saturday afternoon. Saturday night, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act, allowing the OSFM to send additional task forces and an incident management team.
Multiple homes and other buildings remain threatened. People in the area should follow their current evacuation status as this fire progresses. Highway 140E and Bly Mountain Cutoff are open with limited visibility. For firefighter and public safety use caution if traveling in the area. There will be increased fire traffic around the Bonanza area.
The following is updated evacuation information, at the request of the Golden Fire Incident Commander, issued by Klamath County Emergency Management:
- Level 3 (GO NOW)
- East of Highway 140E, north of Keno Springs Lane, and south of Polar Bear Lane.
For the latest evacuation information call the Klamath County hotline 541-205-9730. To sign up for Klamath County alerts, visit http://alerts.klamathcounty.org
The American Red Cross along with the Klamath County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) has set up a shelter for evacuees at Bonanza High School: 31601 Mission Street, Bonanza Oregon 97623.
There is a red flag warning issued for Klamath County for Sunday and Monday for strong gusty winds and low relative humidity. The public is urged to use extreme caution with anything that can spark a wildfire. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly.