CLICK FOR LARGERMap of the location of the Timber Crater 6 Fire. Located on the northeast corner of Crater Lake National Park. (Timber Crater 6 Fire Information Center) — CLICK FOR LARGER
Map of the location of the Timber Crater 6 Fire. Located on the northeast corner of Crater Lake National Park. (Timber Crater 6 Fire Information Center)

Crater Lake National Park, OR – The area affected by the Timber Crater 6 Fire stands at 3,125 acres and is 65% contained. There are 656 firefighters and support staff are assigned to the fire.

Incident Commander Brian Goff spoke at this morning’s briefing, saying that primary containment lines have been constructed around the entire fire. He said that confidence in those lines’ ability to contain the fire is growing each day.

Fire crews are working to improve and secure the remaining 35% of fire line. This process is called mop up and cold trailing. During mop up, logs smoldering near the fire perimeter are doused with water or moved into the interior where they can be safely consumed. Burned trees that are still standing, are called snags. Snags can fall and pose a hazard to firefighters working in the area, and if they fall across a containment line, they create a pathway for fire to escape.

Firefighters will cut down these trees to mitigate those hazards. Teams of firefighters walking in a grid pattern patrol inside the fire line to locate hidden heat sources. These hot spots will be wetted, then the ash and water will be mixed until no heat remains. Firefighters often remove one glove and place their bare hand on top of the ash to feel for heat. This is called cold trailing. When mop up and cold trailing are completed and no heat remains, the line is considered cold. At this time the fire line will be deemed complete and fire in this section will be contained.

Fire managers have been monitoring the Timber Crater 9 fire. The small fire had previously been unstaffed as resources were concentrated on the Timber Crater 6 Fire. Yesterday, a crew of specially trained firefighters rappelled into the area, sliding down ropes from a helicopter. These firefighters used chain saws to remove trees to create a helicopter landing site. Once the site was complete, a helicopter landed and inserted a team of firefighters knows as a Helitack Crew. Together, these men and women began building containment line around the approximately ½ acre fire. They remained on site overnight and will continue mopping up and cold trailing the Timber Crater 9 Fire today.

Yesterday, there was a motor vehicle crash on Highway 138 involving fire apparatus. No serious injuries were sustained, but this should serve as a reminder that fire apparatus are present on roadways and visitors should drive more slowly and be mindful of large fire vehicles pulling out and stopping in unexpected locations.

Smoke from the Timber Crater 6 fire is likely to disperse to the southeast toward Klamath Falls. Drift smoke from multiple fires across southwest Oregon continues to impact the Crater Lake National Park area. For visitors wanting to see Crater Lake under the most favorable conditions, a smoke management specialist suggests mornings as the best viewing time over the next several days. For more information about smoke conditions from air monitoring sites, visit http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/.For hourly updates visit https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/smoke.pl. Smoke monitor #19 is located at Diamond Lake and smoke monitor #20 is located at park headquarters. More information is also available athttps://tools.airfire.org/outlooks/CraterLakeArea.

Information provided by Crater Lake National Park, Northwest Incident Management Team 9.

Klamath Falls News coverage of the 2018 Wildfire Season is brought to you by Excel Auto Body.

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