Crazy Creek Fire at 28,000 acres with no containment

Published 9:42 am Wednesday, July 31, 2024

PRINEVILLE — Crews battled flareups on the Crazy Creek Fire and worked on building containment lines and prepping structures, fire managers reported in their daily update for Wednesday, July 31.

The fire is at just over 28,000 acres with zero containment, while the nearby Kitty Creek Fire is 86% contained at 73 acres and is now in monitor status.

The Southwest Area Incident Management Team 5 will host two community meetings this week to provide updates on the fires.

The first is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the general store in the town of Post, an the second will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Crook County High School in Prineville.

On Tuesday, fire activity intensified in portions of the Crazy Creek fire, fire officials reported. Crews responded to several spot fires on the western side of the fire and fire crossed constructed containment lines on the southern tip. Aerial operations, including air tankers and helicopters, responded to spot fires. Firefighters will work hard Wednesday to continue these efforts.

On Wednesday, crews on the north end of the Crazy Creek fire will continue with tactical firing operations and monitoring containment lines as crews work to secure the area. On the northeast and eastern portion of the fire, crews continue to secure structures in the Toggle Meadows area. On the south end of the Crazy Creek fire, ground crews will utilize direct attack firefighting tactics to limit growth of the spot fires that crossed containment lines yesterday. Air resources, including bucket helicopters and tankers will continue supporting firefighting operations in the area as well, as conditions allow.

Along the southern perimeter, where spot fires occurred Tuesday, firefighters will focus additional efforts on structure protection for threatened values at risk, including historic structures and other values within Roba Ranch.

Evacuations: Mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for areas in Crook and Wheeler Counties for areas in or near the fire. Level 3 “GO” evacuations have extended from the Forest Boundary to highway 380. Level 2 “SET” evacuations have extended south of highway 380.

Weather: The 498/Kitty Creek and Crazy Creek fire area will experience drastically warmer and drier conditions. Temperatures will increase to the high 80s/low 90s and wind gusts between 15-18mph.

Importance of Fire Prevention: All public lands in Central Oregon, to include the Ochoco National Forest are in Public Use (Fire) Restrictions. All open flames, including woodstoves and charcoal briquette fires are prohibited. In times of high fire danger, it is crucial for everyone to follow fire prevention measures to avoid additional strain on overburdened resources. The public’s cooperation in adhering to fire bans and restrictions is vital to prevent new fires from starting and to help our firefighters focus on containing the existing fires. Learn more at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices/?aid=89068.

Smoke: Smoke from multiple fires in Central Oregon are impacting the region. Additional details are available via https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/079f0f73.

Fire Restrictions and Closures: The Ochoco National Forest has implemented a forest closure for the Paulina Ranger District. More information can be found at fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices/?aid=89203.

InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orocf-crazy-creek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SWIMT5

Central Oregon Wildfire Information: https://centraloregonfire.org/

Crook County Emergency Information Map: https://arcg.is/1ij0vb

Acres: Crazy Creek – 28,064; 498/Kitty Creek – 73 Start Date: July 22, 2024

Location: Crazy Creek:16 miles north of Paulina, OR Personnel: 395 total for both fires

498/Kitty Creek: 7 miles south of Mitchell, OR

Containment: Crazy Creek 0%; 498/Kitty Creek 86%

Fuels: Timber and short grass

Resources: 7 crews | 25 engines | 9 bulldozers | 8 water tenders | 1 masticator | 11 skid steer