Note: Click here for Tuesday's Updates for the Cougar Peak Fire
Evening Video Update: Cougar Peak Fire Community Meeting
Map Shows Divisions, Uncontrolled Fire Edge, Completed Dozer Lines.
Note: Map is 1,500 Pixels Wide
Tonight: Community Meeting - 6:30 P.M. - In Person at Paisley School and available via Facebook Live - Broadcasted on KPAI 103.1, KORV 93.5
September 13, 2021 - Cougar Peak Fire Update for Monday Morning, 86,282 acres with 6% Containment.
Overnight Infrared Flight shows a growth of 112 acres.
Update: Cougar Peak Fire Update for Monday afternoon, the fire is now at 86,282 Acres with 6% Containment.
Basic Information
| Current as of | 9/13/2021, 2:00:39 PM |
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
| Cause | Undetermined |
| Date of Origin | Tuesday September 07th, 2021 approx. 01:45 PM |
| Location | 15 miles Northwest of Lakeview, Oregon |
| Incident Commander | Kevin Stock/USFS & Scott Magers/OSFM |
| Coordinates | 42.277 latitude, -120.613 longitude |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 787 |
| Size | 86,282 Acres |
| Percent of Perimeter Contained | 6% |
| Estimated Containment Date | Tuesday October 05th, 2021 approx. 12:00 AM |
| Fuels Involved |
Timber (Litter and Understory) Brush (2 feet) Medium Logging Slash Predominate fuels are timber, dry climate brush, logging and fuels reduction slash. |
| Significant Events |
Minimal; creeping; torching; smoldering Narrative: Fuels drying up from precipitation event on Friday. Grass and brush fully capable of sustaining moderate to high fire spread. Single to small group torching and low-moderate fire spread potential in the timber fuels models. Excellent humidity recovery has slowed the drying rate of the fuels, but several days of very poor recovery is expected beginning Monday evening. Continued near complete consumption of heavy fuels. |
Outlook
| Planned Actions |
Provide Rural Structure Protection. Reinforce control lines on South and East. Continue construction and prep of contingency lines on west flank. Continue cold trailing in the north end grass and sage fuels. Construct handlines to tie multiple dozer lines together along the east flank. Continue scouting for opportunities. |
| Projected Incident Activity |
12 hours: Minimal fire behavior expected for this period. New starts from the multitude of strikes are expected. Fire behavior consisting primarily of creeping surface fire, single and small group tree torching under protected canopy, and continued consumption of heavy fuels. 24 hours: Minimal fire behavior expected for this period. New starts from the multitude of strikes are expected. Fire behavior consisting primarily of creeping surface fire, single and small group tree torching under protected canopy, and continued consumption of heavy fuels. Grass and brush fully available as the overnight humidity recovery wanes. May pick up some lightning holdovers over the next few days. 48 hours: Timber fuel models support moderate intensity surface fire, single to small group torching, and increased probability of ignition. Torching runs possible today. Continued consumption of heavy fuels. May pick up some lightning holdovers over the next few days. 72 hours: Fuels exposed to several nights of poor day and nighttime humidity recovery will support active surface fire with group torching, high probability of ignition and rapid spread rates. Anticipated after 72 hours: Gusty, prefrontal winds will be present on the fire today. Active surface fire with spread potential in all directions will be possible. Long range spotting with a high probability of ignition is likely. |
Current Weather
| Weather Concerns |
A warming and drying trend yielded highs in the lower to middle 70s with relative humidity dropping into the 20-25% range. Light upslope and up-canyon winds were observed in the afternoon with gusts up to 15 mph. A dry cold front will move through the area Sunday afternoon bringing a period of northwest winds late Sunday afternoon and evening with steady north to northeast wind developing Sunday night. Slightly cooler temperatures but still dry conditions will prevail through Monday along with a steady northerly wind. Another weak cold front is expected to move through late Wednesday but no precipitation is expected. A stronger storm system arrives late in the week with gusty southwest winds returning Friday but increasing chances for rain. |
Community Meeting
Monday September 13, 2021 – 6:30 P.M.
In person at the Paisley School District on 260 Green Street
Also live streaming on the Cougar Peak Fire Facebook page
Broadcasted on KPAI 103.1 and KORV 93.5
Lakeview Ore. - Firefighters continue making progress lining 230 miles of fire perimeter. An increase in winds is anticipated over the next few days and are expected to test the completed dozer and handlines.
Today’s focus will be on the eastern and southern edges of the fire. Resources will continue building and reinforcing lines and extinguishing hot spots close to the fire’s edge. The southeast corner has been mopped up 25 feet into the interior. The southwest and northern perimeter of the fire has been prepped for burn out operations, weather and resources permitting, those operations will be conducted in locations where indirect line was previously constructed.
The heavy equipment group will be working the northwest side of the fire to build contingency lines. On the northeast side of the fire, plans are to burnout a small portion of a slop over near the existing dozer line. Nearly the entire east side of the fire has direct line in place. Fire crews have utilized a combination of dozer line, hand line, or roads to accomplish this objective. Eight crews have been assigned to the eastern flank to mop up and further secure the line. Air resources will coordinate with firefighters to utilize water drops when flare ups occur, or fire threatens the perimeter.
Four task forces, consisting of 16 engines and four water tenders, from the Office of the Oregon State Fire Marshal will continue mop-up efforts and help secure lines along the fire’s edge. Teams will also continue patrolling and assisting fire crews where needed, with emphasis on preserving grasslands critical to local livestock operations.
A spike camp will be established near Paisley to support the efforts on the western side of the fire and reduce travel time.
Behavior: Moderate fire behavior is anticipated as temperatures and winds increase throughout the week. Unburned fuels within the fire perimeter are expected to dry out and will have a higher likelihood of burning. Larger pockets of fuel could produce visible smoke.
Acreage: 86,282
Containment: 6%
Cause: Undetermined
Fire Information: (541) 900-5788 (8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.)
E-mail: 2021.cougarpeak@firenet.gov
Information websites: Facebook: “Cougar Peak Fire 2021”
Air Quality: oregonsmoke.blogspot.com
Weather: A light north wind is expected today. Temperatures will be 65-70 degrees on the ridgetops with a relative humidity of 22- 28%. A progressively dry air mass will move into the area this evening resulting in poor humidity recovery. The north wind will aid in pushing thicker smoke to the south with improving visibility during the afternoon, possibly settling into the area tonight.
Resources-787: 1 - type 1 hand crew, 2 - type 2 IA hand crews, 14 - type 2 hand crews, 3 - camp crews, 3 - heavy lift helicopters, 2 - medium lift helicopters, 3 - light lift helicopter, 55 - engines, 16 - dozers, 24 - water tenders, and 1 - masticator.
Evacuations: The Lake County Sheriff’s Office evacuation levels remain at Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 evacuations in and around the Cougar Peak Fire. For further information please see: Lake County website https://www.lakecountyor.org/index.php Lake County Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906 and an interactive map: https://tinyurl.com/InteractiveEvacMap
Temporary Flight Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the Cougar Peak Fire. Please consult the Notice to Airman for specifics.
Red Cross Evacuation Shelter: The Lakeview shelter and planned emergency shelter in LaPine are both on standby and staff are available to reopen either shelter, if the need arises. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Whenever a drone is spotted near the fire, all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.
For the latest restrictions and regulations, including Oregon Department of Forestry and federal agencies, visit https://scofmp.org/restrictions.shtml. Make sure to Know Before You Go.
Click here for: Oregon Cougar Peak Fire Sunday, September 12, 2021 Updates
