Fire Update 8/21/14

Yesterday Fire crews checked lines on the northwest corner from the Aldrich Ridge to the South Fork of the John Day River for any residual heat and extinguished it. On the northeast side crews strengthened the line with hand ignition along the 2150 road and down to the Thorn Creek burn scar. The southeast and south sides of the fire continue in a patrol and suppression repair status. Aviation resources continued to support suppression efforts with bucket drops to cool hotspots along the line and on interior flare-ups, and patrol the west side. One new fire start was discovered on the southeast side outside the fire lines and was quickly extinguished.     Weather and Fire Behavior Upper level moisture moving down the east side of the North Pacific Ridge will lead to occasional patches of cirrus clouds over the region on Friday. Low relative humidity values will continue despite slightly cooler temperatures. Winds are expected to be out of the northwest.     Today’s Operations Emphasis will be to continue containment efforts on the northeastern perimeter of the fire, south of Dayville. Crews will continue mop-up and fire suppression repair on the southeastern and northwestern perimeter. The west side of the fire will continue to be patrolled by air. Aerial ignition  is planned for the north side to increase depth in the line if fire behavior conditions are favorable.  Crews will continue to be available for additional initial attack on new starts from lightning. Closures and Evacuations Agency administrators and the fire team are finalizing plans to reduce the closure areas and evacuation levels on the South Fork Complex.  A Level 1 evacuation remains in effect for the area bounded by the 2150 road on the south, the 21 road on the east, Highway 26 on the north and on the west by a line running due north from the Aldrich Lookout to Highway 26. A closure is in place on the Malheur National Forest, the Ochoco National Forest and BLM and private lands surrounding the fires. All roads and trails are closed within the closure area. Closure information is available online at inciweb.nwcg.gov. Maps and other information, are available online at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4042/