Widespread lightning over the Pacific Northwest on July 16 ignited many wildland fires. Firefighters are detecting, assessing and attacking these fires as they develop. Fires on the Diamond Lake District of the Umpqua National Forest are grouped into the Diamond Complex.
Currently there are twelve fires totaling an estimated 2,385 acres in the Diamond Complex, under a strategy of full suppression. This means firefighters are directly attacking the fires’ edge where access and firefighter safety allow, and implementing indirect strategies using constructed control lines, and utilizing natural barriers where access issues and safety concerns prevent direct attack.
The fires currently comprising the Diamond Complex are Pine Bench, 917 acres, north of Hwy 138 near Dry Creek, Trail, 808 acres, east of Hwy 138 on the west slope of Mt. Thielsen; Lemolo, 299 acres, north of Lemolo Lake on Bunker Hill; Pig Iron, 27 acres, Pig Iron Mountain north of Hwy 138; Watson, 77 acres, north of Hwy 138 on Watson Ridge, Brodie, 51 acres, about 5 miles south of Hwy 138 and south of Devils Canyon; Trep, 58 acres, about 4 miles south of Hwy 138; Garwood, 5 acres, about 3 miles southwest of Mt. Bailey; Slide, 0.1 acres, northeast of Pine Bench; Potter, 127 acres, north of Hwy 138 about 2 miles southeast of Potter Mt.; 252, 14 acres, north of Hwy 138 about 1 mile northeast of Bird Point; and Clearwater, 2 acres, south of Hwy 138 about 5 miles northwest of Diamond Lake.
Yesterday, Northwest Team 7 continued firefighting operations with active suppression on the Trail Fire. Dozer lines are being reinforced with water delivery hose lines from Hwy 138 to the Mt. Thielsen Wilderness boundary. The Pig Iron fire had active suppression activities with ground and aerial resources to protect critical infrastructure. Firefighters worked to keep the Pine Bench fire west of Forest Road 4775 and away from critical infrastructure as the fire moves north into the Boulder Creek Wilderness.
Today, active suppression continues with the Lemolo, Trail, Pig Iron and Pine Bench fires as priorities. As the fires progress, the team will re-prioritize suppression actions. Nationally and in the Pacific Northwest, fire activity is putting an extreme demand on firefighting resources. This means that firefighters must carefully prioritize and efficiently utilize available resources to protect values at risk. The highest priority will remain public and firefighter safety and protecting infrastructure and homes.
Weather: The Red Flag Warning expired at 8 am this morning. Today will see slightly higher relative humidity and lower temperatures, providing firefighters with the advantage of less intense fire behavior.
Closures and Evacuations: The USFS and the Douglas County Sheriff have implemented public safety measures in response to these fires. Umpqua National Forest has issued a closure order that impacts all of the Cottage Grove Ranger District and parts of the Diamond Lake, North Umpqua, and Tiller Ranger Districts. The closure order can be found here: https://bit.ly/3SeYvih . Additionally, Diamond Lake, Thielsen View, and Broken Arrow Campgrounds are closed through July 28, 2024, and will be reevaluated closer to that date. The Douglas County Sheriff has issued a Level 3: GO NOW for the Trail Fire and the Lemolo fire. There is a Level 2: BE SET for the Pine Bench. Fire danger is set at High and public use restrictions are set at Level 2. Please see detailed information here: www.dcso.com/EVACUATIONS and www.fs.usda.gov/umpqua
