9/25/12 Update Pole Creek Fire
Incident: Pole Creek Wildfire
Released: 9/25/2012
A community fire information update is planned for Wednesday, September 26th at 7:30 P.M. at the Sisters Elementary School at 611 East Cascade Ave. The briefing will include an in-depth update on the Pole Creek Fire.
The fire size is at 26,285 acres. Firefighters worked on mopping-up and rehabilitating fire lines. Most of the work was on lines on the west side of Trout Creek Butte, with the installation of over 27,000 feet of hose lays to aid in mop-up. Monday was the last night shift on the fire; all night-shift personnel will roll over into day shift. Helicopters flew gel on the northwest portion of the fire in the wilderness. Firefighters were able to tie the line into rock.
Cooler temperatures Sunday and Monday helped keep fire behavior down, allowing crews to make good progress on the lines.
The Pole Creek Fire helped support aviation operations on the Canyon Creek Fire by providing three helicopters for bucket drops.
ALL major routes remain open to Sisters and other central Oregon communities. For information on smoke tips, visit the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) at http://tinyurl.com/bm8txvw, or call (503) 229-6397.
A Level 2 evacuation alert remains in effect for the subdivisions (Crossroads, Edgington and Remuda) located northeast of the fire. The potential for fire movement remains due to spotting caused by winds on Saturday, September 22, on the west side of Trout Creek Butte. Firefighters are focusing their efforts to identify and control spot fires using crews, engines, dozers, and aviation resources. Once these spot fires are secured and mopped-up, a recommendation will be made to the Deschutes County Sheriff to lift the evacuation notice. To receive these messages on cell phones, citizens are encouraged to visit http://tinyurl.com/bwvm5o8 and register their numbers with the Citizen Alert program. At this time, there are no towns, subdivisions or structures under evacuation.
For firefighter and public safety, the current closure area includes the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) between Trail #3531 and the PCT Trailhead on Highway 242. PCT hikers have a reroute option using the Scott Trail traveling west to Highway 242. The closure still includes Forest Roads 15 (Pole Ck RD) & 16 (Three Creeks Rd) south to FS 4601 Road.
