Lincoln County, Oregon



SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 UPDATES6:30PMEcho Mountain Complex Evening Update - Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team (630 PM) 9.13.20Lincoln City, OR. – Heavy fuels and dense brush have hampered firefighter’s efforts to complete the control lines around 100% of the fire. Tonight’s night shift resources will concentrate on patrolling and monitoring the fire. Tonight is the last night shift. The fire footprint remains at 2,435 acres.Structure assessment teams arrived from Idaho and met with Lincoln County representatives to begin the structural assessment process. This process involves going to each property impacted by the fire and inventorying the structures that were damaged and identifying the extent of the damage.Oregon National Guard resources arrived today to provide additional security at road junctions. This security is intended to further limit access to the fire area and evacuated neighborhoods. Oregon Department of Transportation employees are providing the support for the Highway 18 closure. The Incident Management Team would like to thank everyone for respecting these closures.Additional Oregon National Guard personnel are arriving to help bolster the hand crews that have been working on the fire. These crews will be woven into the operation and will be mopping up beginning tomorrow.Covid-19 proves to be a new challenge in regard to fighting large fires, but the command staff is committed to minimizing the potential for Covid-19 spread. All assigned personnel to the fire are required to follow Oregon Health Authority’s Guidance to reduce the spread of Covid-19. The Incident Management Team has a Health Liaison who works with local public health officials to coordinate the Covid-19 response and needs of the incident.Beginning tomorrow, there will be one daily update from the Echo Mountain Complex. The Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team update will be issued each morning.6:00PMLincoln City, Ore. (6 PM) Media Release from Lincoln County Sheriff's OfficeLincoln County Sheriff Curtis Landers announced that deputies will begin offering status checks on properties in the area that remains closed to the Echo Mountain Complex Fire. General access to the affected areas continues to be limited due to hazardous and unpredictable conditions.Residents can phone the county’s call center, 541-265-0621, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days a week. Callers will be asked to provide the following information: - Name - Address (any helpful information in locating the residence (many street signs and address markers are destroyed). - Phone number - Anyone missing from the location, including name, age, phone number - Any animals at locationRequests can also be made by filling out this form online: will make checks as time permits, and there may be long delays in callbacks. Deputies will only be able to provide basic information about a structure or damage and are not capable of determining if a structure is safe to enter or is habitable. Deputies will call the number provided and relay the status to the resident. If there is no answer, the deputies will leave a message. If the phone has no voicemail box or the deputy is otherwise unable to leave a message, no further attempts will be made.Sheriff Landers said: “We understand the anxiety of not knowing the condition of your property and want to get you answers as soon as we safely can.”10:00AMLincoln City, Ore. (10AM) ODF Incident Management TeamResources have been hard at work on the Echo Mountain Complex. Much of the fire line has been completed and firefighters will spend the day completing the last sections of line and beginning mop up. At 2,435 acres in size, the fire is currently 20% contained.383 personnel are now assigned to the fire. There are still resource shortages around the region, as large fires are spread across the western landscape. Local resources, such as cooperators with heavy equipment have been instrumental in the success on the complex.Today’s weather forecast calls for stable air over the fire area. These stable conditions will result in continued conditions of smoke and haze in the area. Rain and mist are forecast to begin tonight. This forecast will help firefighters to make progress in mopping up and further securing the perimeter of the fire.Additional resources are expected to arrive at the fire today. These resources are specialists trained in structure assessment. They will methodically inventory and assess each structure that was impacted by the fire. Lincoln County is facilitating these assessments.Public and firefighter safety remains the highest priority. Fire managers are asking the public to please avoid the fire area. Highway 18 remains closed to provide firefighters safe space to operate.Many communities remain under Level 2 or 3 evacuation orders. Air quality is expected to remain at very unhealthy levels throughout the region today. Individuals are encouraged to avoid prolonged exposure to the outdoors or heavy exertion while outdoors.Please note the new information phone number for ODF PIO: (541)583-4720 (8am - 8pm)September 12, 2020 Updates5:00 PM - Firefighters had a successful day today. The continued cooler weather pattern allowed for firefighters to work on completing control lines around the fire. The fire size remains at an estimated 2,435 acres and is 15% contained.The Kimberling Fire, east of Rose Lodge, has a fire line around the entire perimeter and hose lays were constructed. “Water began flowing at noon” stated Operations Section Chief Mike Carlson. Mop-up is the focus now on this fire. Firefighters will be working from the perimeter towards the center of the fire. This work will continue for the next few days.On the larger portion of fire near Otis, crews have nearly completed fire line around the perimeter. Hose lays are being constructed that will assist with the mop-up operations. Hazard tree mitigation and powerline repair is still part of the day shift’s operations. Night shift resources will focus on patrolling the fires and monitoring fire behavior. Day shift resources will finish building fireline.The predicted weather calls for continued cooler temperatures in the 60s with higher relative humidity that will keep the fire from being as active as it has been. Rain is in the forecast starting early next week.The area remains extremely hazardous. Falling debris, downed powerlines and hazard trees continue to be issues. Please avoid the fire area. Highway 18 remains closed at this time. This closures is in place to protect members of the public, as well as firefighters. 12:00 pm - Firefighters are taking advantage of the cooler weather and making progress in building fire line around the perimeters. The fire has not experienced significant growth in the last 48 hours.The Kimberling Fire, east of Rose Lodge, has a fire line around the perimeter and hose lays are in progress. Mop-up is planned to commence later today. Mop-up activities consist of digging up hot spots using hand toolsand following with water. It is tedious work that could take days before the fire is considered out.The larger portion of fire near Otis, crews are working to establish fire breaks using hand crews in steeper areas and dozers to re-open roads forcontrol lines. The majority of the fire perimeter does not have control lines established yet.Michael Curran, ODF District Forester, asks for the public’s patience and understanding of the road closures. “Until hazard trees are removed, repairs to the power lines are made and structure assessment completed, portions of the fire will remain closed to the public for the fire fighters ”safety” he stated today.8:49 am - We just got word that East Devils Lake Road will be closed for a couple of hours due to a dangerous tree tha tneeds to be removed. People are still able to go back home, it's just that the road is closed to remove the tree.6:00 am - Echo Mountain Fire Complex - DOWNGRADE NOTICES for Lincoln City Area - Current Map (6 AM) ................
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