Fire boss, Oakridge mayor caution community to stay on alert as hot, dry weather comes roaring back

By DOUG BATES/Editor/The Herald — Noel Livingston opened his wildfire briefing Sunday morning, Aug. 8, by calling attention to the jacket he was wearing.

“This probably will be the last time you see us wearing a jacket up here in the morning,” he said.

Now it’s going to get hot and dry again — and potentially dangerous, he added.

“We had a little front come through last night, primarily in Northwestern Oregon, bringing cooler temperatures and higher humidity,” said Livingston, deputy incident commander for the team of 700-plus people who are battling the Middle Fork Complex of wildfires near Oakridge.

“The rest of the week, unfortunately, we’re looking at another period of record high temperatures.”

Livingston’s briefing Sunday morning contained a straightforward message for Oakridge-Westfir: “We’re going to see some movement coming out of these fires,” Livingston said.

The National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures in the 100s for later in the week with lowering humidity and — fortuitously — moderate breezes.

“Fortunately, we’re not seeing high winds forecast,” Livingston said, “but it’s going to be a busy week.”

Of the 12 fires burning in the Middle Fork Complex, the Kwis fire just outside Oakridge remains “our priority fire,” said Livingston, speaking for the inter-agency response team at its command center in Oakridge.

He said the Kwis fire, about six miles northeast of Oakridge near Salmon Creek, created a spot fire that jumped its western perimeter Saturday. Aided by water-dumping helicopters, ground crews were able to reestablish the fire line necessary to keep the blaze from moving toward town.

“We’re going to see the potential for that kind of fire behavior for the next five days,” he said.

Oakridge Mayor Kathy Holston reinforced that message and urged Oakridge residents to monitor the Facebook page for the Middle Fork Complex to stay abreast of the emergency.

“Today and tomorrow we will see less smoke and a bit of a clearing so take advantage of it,” Holston wrote on her official Facebook page Saturday, Aug. 7. “After that we move into a high-heat scenario and low humidity — not a good combination for anything as we know.

“Please be reassured that while the containment of the Kwis fire has everyone feeling very positive, it still remains the top priority because of its potential and proximity to Oakridge. So while encouraging, there is no collective sigh of relief and letting down of the guard for either our community or the fire agencies.”

Salmon Creek Road, also known as Forest Road 24, remains closed and Holston reminded residents to stay away from that area.

“Your thank-you’s and hospitality have not gone unnoticed by those working on the fires,” she told the community. “Let’s keep up the flow of gratitude to these hard-working individuals!

“As always stay alert and stay safe and stay Oakridge-strong.”

In related development:

— The Middle Fork Complex response command announced that a public briefing on the fires is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 9, at Greenwaters Park.

— The Lane County Sheriff’s Office warned that increased drone aircraft presence has been noted over parts of the Middle Fork fires, endangering firefighting aircraft. The sheriff’s office warned drone operators that their unlawful activity means the grounding of firefighting aircraft, and those responsible can face severe penalties for violating the law.

— The air quality index for Oakridge improved Saturday and Sunday to the “moderate” and “unhealthy for sensitive groups” levels after several days of readings in the “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” levels. However, Livingston said a return to heavy smoke intrusions is possible this week as temperatures heat up again.