Holiday Farm Fire containment at 65%

Holiday Farm Fire containment at 65%

The Holiday Farm Fire remains at 173,094 acres and is now 65% contained, the Oregon Department of Forestry reported in a Wednesday morning news release.

© U.S. Forest Service
Fire agencies battle the Holiday Farm Fire in September 2020.

Road and area closures remain in place for the safety of the public and

firefighters. Before heading out, check the status of the area

and the roadways by visiting tripcheck.com or oregon.gov/odot/Pages/Wildfire.aspx.

Firefighters will continue to work on detecting hot spots, patrolling fire lines, and mopping up, the ODF said. 

The weather forecast for Wednesday calls for hot and dry conditions and light winds. Slightly cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity is called for this weekend. Smoke from California fires also may move into the area Wednesday.

Smoke will be present within the fire perimeter for the foreseeable future. Firefighting efforts are concentrated on the perimeter, which is being secured against further spread. Interior smokes are well within the perimeter and ODF asks that they not be reported to 911.

For fire information inquiries, call 541-357-9729 or visit inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7170. The Holiday Farm Fire Facebook page also will have updates

By the numbers, Wednesday

Details about Holiday Farm Fire resources, as of Wednesday via the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team:

• Estimated Size: 173,094 acres
• Containment: 65% (+5%)
• Cause: Unknown
• Personnel: 700 (+50)

Assigned Resources:

• Hand Crews: 17
• Engines: 44
• Dozers: 7
• Water Tenders: 7
• Other Heavy Equipment: 3
• Assigned Aircraft: 4
• Structure Task Forces: 0
• Injuries: 6

Structures: 

• Destroyed residences: 431
• Destroyed non-residential commercial: 24

Lane County shuts down fire non-emergency call center

Lane County has closed its non-emergency Holiday Farm Fire call center due to low call volume.

Information and resources for those affected by the Holiday Farm Fire will continue to be available online at lanecounty.org/mckenziefire_resources, the county said in a news release Monday.

Residents of the McKenzie corridor who see hazards along county-maintained roads, including hazard trees and debris on the road, can report them to Lane County Road & Bridge Maintenance at 541-682-6900, 24 hours per day, the release said.

‘Perfect’ conditions Sunday help bump Holiday Farm Fire containment to 55%

Firefighters on the Holiday Farm Fire welcomed another favorable day of weather Sunday. Calm winds and clear skies produced perfect working conditions that helped bump containment to 55 percent, according to a news release from the Oregon Department of Forestry on Monday.

The fire has not spread from its footprint of 173,094 acres in the last seven days, the agency said.

Temperatures are forecast to go from warm to hot over the next few days, and an east wind is expected to stir fire behavior inside the interior of the fire, ODF said.

Residents and passersby can expect to see small columns of smoke within the fire’s interior. These “smokes” pose minimal threat to crossing containment lines or threatening homes. Fire personnel are encouraging the public to not report these smokes to emergency services as they overload the system and create unnecessary response, the agency said.

Hazard tree and debris removal will continue along Highway 126, but local motor vehicle traffic will be allowed through with a pilot car along a 10-mile stretch between mileposts 28 and 38.

For more information regarding road closures and delays, go to oregon.gov/odot/Pages/Wildfire.aspx or Tripcheck.com.

No cases of COVID-19 have been reported on the Holiday Farm Fire, ODF said.

By the numbers, Monday

Details about Holiday Farm Fire resources, as of Monday via the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team:

• Estimated Size: 173,094 acres
• Containment: 55% (+5%)
• Cause: Unknown
• Personnel: 635 (-107)

Assigned Resources:

• Hand Crews: 17 (-7)
• Engines: 44 (-8)
• Dozers: 7 (-11)
• Water Tenders: 7 (-1)
• Other Heavy Equipment: 3
• Assigned Aircraft: 4
• Structure Task Forces: 0
• Injuries: 6

Structures: 

• Destroyed residences: 431
• Destroyed non-residential commercial: 24

Pilot car schedule for Holiday Farm Fire zone

Pilot cars operated by the Oregon Department of Transportation are scheduled on Highway 126 this week during the following hours:

Morning

• 8 a.m., west to east
• 9 a.m., east to west

Evening

• 4 p.m., west to east
• 5 p.m., east to west
• 6 p.m., west to east

The pilot cars are being operated from two miles east of Vida at mile 27.55 to east of Finn Rock at milepost 38. The pilot cars provide access for residents so they can travel safely through multiple work zones where hazard trees are being removed.

Local organizations band together to assist fire victims

Since Labor Day, the Holiday Farm Fire has burned more than 173,000 acres, 431 residences and a multitude of commercial buildings and structures. Though the fire remains one of the largest burning in Oregon, the breadth of collaborative effort is giving hope to communities trying to rise from the ashes.

Local organizations far and wide are giving in a number of ways. Following are just a few. (Readers who’d like to contribute more can email [email protected].) 

Read the full story here.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Updates: Holiday Farm Fire containment at 65%