The latest and most comprehensive coverage of local News, Sports, Business, and Community News stories in the Klamath Basin, Southern Oregon and around the state of Oregon from Wynne Broadcasting’s KFLS News/Talk 1450AM / 102.5FM, The Herald & News, and BasinLife.com, and powered by Mick Insurance.
Friday, September 11, 2020
Klamath Basin Weather
Today Sunny, with a high near 89. Light and variable wind.
Saturday Sunny, with a high near 90.
Sunday Sunny, with a high near 86.
Today’s Headlines
As of late yesterday, the Two Four Two Fire near Chiloquin is about 12,500 acres in size as of this morning, Friday. It remains at about 5 percent containment. About 315 homes remain evacuated, according to the South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership.
The Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team says the evacuations of the Woodland Park and Rainbow Park communities were lifted on Thursday. These areas contain about 175 homes. None of these homes were damaged. About 228 people on Wednesday were able to return to their homes west of Highway 62 at Modoc Point, and at Oregon Shores 1 and 2. There were no known injuries or fatalities as of Thursday morning.
Eight homes were confirmed destroyed and 31 others have been damaged. A total of 70 structures have been damaged. The estimated cost to fight the fire is $1.2 million and rising.
The sheriff issued a new Level 1, “Get Ready”, evacuation notice for Highway 62 from milepost 94 to Sun Mountain Road. All other evacuations remain the same.
Two Four Two Fire Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TwoFourTwoFire
The fire’s Facebook page has a video explaining the evacuation areas and levels. Late this afternoon, a retardant drop along the fire’s north side helped slow the fire’s spread, allowing firefighters to strengthen the containment lines. Firefighters held the line along Highway 97. Along the west side, firefighters removed dangerous trees and cooled hot spots. Crews will use water and hand tools to put out hot spots along Highway 97. On the north side, firefighters will also continue strengthening the line. Safety remains our top priority. This includes trying to prevent COVID-19 infections. Personnel are following the Center for Disease Control guidelines. This means limiting personal contact within fire camp and the community. The fire camp is closed to the public and media.
While the Two Four Two Fire rips through their former reservation and threatens historic sites, the Klamath Tribes are working with Klamath County officials to provide a safe harbor for evacuees. And no, they’re not turning non-Native people away.
Klamath County sheriff Chris Kaber says he’s surprised and disappointed to hear rumors that the tribes were turning non-tribal members away from Kla-Mo-Ya. Such rumors likely came from a racist, profanity-laced video circulated on Facebook Tuesday night, which asserted that the tribes were reserving the casino’s accompanying Sleep Inn hotel for tribal members only and called on viewers to sue the tribes in response. The post, which received hundreds of comments from the community refuting the accusation, has since been removed from the platform.
Klamath Falls city police officer Thomas Robinson is back home. Officer Robinson safely arrived home yesterday after a year long military deployment to Africa.
Members of the department met him as he got off the plane and presented him with our Department Challenge Coin and a US Flag that flew over the Klamath Falls Police Department during his deployment. The KFPD Facebook page stated yesterday that the department is so blessed to have him home and proud of his commitment to our country and the Klamath Falls community.
Crater Lake National Park has issued a Level 1 evacuation notice for the entire park effective at noon yesterday.
The Level 1 notice informs residents and visitors to “be ready” for a potential evacuation, including employee dormitories and trailer sites, in the event that a fire approaches. Current or projected threats from nearby fires indicate that there may be a need to evacuate in the future. However, there are no mandatory evacuations at this time. In the event that conditions worsen, the park will make every attempt to contact visitors and residents personally.
If visitors are absent from your residence, lodging room, campsite, or vehicle for more than a short time, leave a note with your name and a contact telephone number in a door or window where it can be easily seen.
Around the state of Oregon
Evacuation Status Update for fairgrounds is being updated on the Oregon Fairs Association Website – www.oregonfairs.org. Click on WILDFIRE FAIRGROUNDS RESOURCE GUIDE. To provide updates, email info@oregonfairs.org
South Obenchain Fire Update
Near Eagle Point to Butte Falls, Northwest Incident Management Team 8, Incident Commander Doug Johnson, and Oregon State Fire Marshal Incident Management Blue Team, Incident Commander Scott Magers, are in unified command, in management of the South Obenchain Fire.
The incident command post is located at the Scenic Middle School in Central Point and a base camp is located at the Jackson County Expo Park. The life and safety of the public and all wildland fire responders is always the number one priority for all fire agencies. To keep firefighters and communities healthy and safe, all firefighters are asked to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the spread of illness. This also includes limited entry into the incident command post and base camp.
Please see the websites below or contact the South Obenchain Fire information center at Jackson County Emergency Management Office at (541) 776-7338 for further fire information.
General Updates: The South Obenchain Fire was very active yesterday making a major push towards Butte Falls. The fire burned to Star Lake Reservoir and just above the Salt Creek Road. Residence from the Butte Falls area are under a Level 3 evacuation. The smoke created visibility issues and aircraft were only able to fly intermittently. The southwest perimeter is holding. Crews chased a few spots over the created fireline. The northern tip of the fire is in the Indian Creek area. An Interagency Hotshot Crew is assigned to this area and is working to tie this section of line together. A large spot fire is burning at the junction of Derby Creek Road and Crowfoot Road. Structure protection is in place.
Today, firefighters will continue to hold all fire lines, scout for anchors to begin new line construction, and provide point protection to infrastructure.
An unmanned aircraft (UAS) was reported over the fire area. If you fly, we can’t. The entire air operation must be shut down until the air space is reported clear.
Acreage: 23,150
Containment: 0%
Cause: Under investigation
Fire Information: (541) 776-7338
E-mail: SouthObenchainFire@gmail.com
Information Websites:
Facebook: South Obenchain Fire
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7185
Air Quality: oregonsmoke.blogspot.com
Weather: A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 8 PM this evening for unstable atmospheric conditions. High pressure will still be in control over the area. Winds will trend lower and remain westerly around 3 to 5 mph. Temperatures will be moderated due to a thick layer of smoke covering
Resources-331: 1-type 1 hand crew, 1-type 2 initial attack crew, 10-type 2 crews, 3- light helicopter, 3-medium helicopter, 3- heavy helicopter, 31-engines, 11-dozers, and 18-water tenders
Evacuations: See the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office website for a full description of the evacuation levels. Link is below.
Jackson County Emergency Management Website link is below.
Shelter Location: Please go to the Jackson County Expo Center, 1 Penninger Rd. in Central Point, where there is food, medical care, bathroom and showers.
Temporary Flight Restrictions: For the safety of the firefighters and aircraft fighting the South Obenchain Fire, a temporary flight restriction has been placed over the fire area. Please consult the Notice to Airman for specifics
Facebook is also being partly blamed for rumors of Antifa arrests in southern Oregon. Rumors spread just like wildfire and 9-1-1 dispatchers and professional staff are being overrun with requests for information and inquiries on an UNTRUE rumor that 6 Antifa members have been arrested for setting fires in Douglas and Jackson Counties.
Law enforcement officials urge residents to stop spreading rumors. Follow official sources of information such as local emergency response websites and pages, government websites and pages and local reputable news outlets.
In a prepared release late yesterday afternoon, Jackson County sheriff Nate Sickler said. “It’s an increasingly problematic issue related to the disastrous fires in Jackson County is the spreading of false information.” He added, “There are numerous FALSE reports of arrests and other situations over the past days that are the content of postings, fake stories and gossip.
When you see or hear a story please check official sources only to verify the information.” The sheriff asked that residents please don’t re-post and spread misinformation based on some unverified random post or meme. Rumors make the job of protecting the community more difficult. Jackson, Douglas and Klamath County emergency services have been inundated with questions about things that are fake stories. One example is a story circulating that varies about what group is involved as to setting fires and arrests being made. This is not true. When official information about the investigation is available it will be on reputable government, fire and law enforcement internet sites and social media pages.
Stunned residents of the small Oregon town of Phoenix walked through a scene of devastation Thursday after one of the state’s many wildfires wiped out much of their community, including a mobile home park, houses and businesses.
After spending the night in their cars in a Home Depot parking lot, a stream of people walked into what was left of the town that hugs Interstate 5 near the California border. They hauled wagons and carried backpacks and bags to salvage whatever was left of their belongings.
Oregon officials were shocked by the number of simultaneous fires, which stood at 39 on Thursday morning, according to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. At least three people in Oregon were reported killed, including a boy and his grandmother, and several others critically burned. Deaths in Washington included a 1-year-old boy. Elsewhere, wildfires damaged towns in a canyon and the foothills of the Cascade Range, where the remains of a boy and his dog were found. Flames also hit the coastal town of Lincoln City and Estacada, 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Portland.
Fires also erupted along Interstate 5, forcing a shutdown Wednesday of the main freeway along the West Coast. U.S. Highway 101, the main coastal highway running through California, Oregon and Washington, was affected too.
Authorities are investigating the Almeda fire as an arson after discovering human remains in Ashland, the city police chief said.
The Ashland Police Department, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police arson investigators are investigating the nature of the death of the person found, according to Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara. Jackson County Sheriff Nate Sickler is reported as saying the remains found in Ashland might not be the only fatality from the fire that ravaged Talent and Phoenix and threatened parts of Medford. An Oregon State Fire Marshal incident management team is assisting with the Almeda fire.
Governor Kate Brown has issued an executive order declaring an “abnormal market disruption” due to Oregon’s wildfire state of emergency — a method for state agencies to crack down on price-gouging in times of distress. Brown’s office said that it has seen reports of “unusual increases in lodging rates” for Oregonians who have evacuated or lost homes from the multiple wildfires burning around the state, prompting Brown who last declared an abnormal market disruption in March as the coronavirus pandemic sparked similar concerns over price gouging on essential items, particularly cleaning and hygiene supplies. Brown’s office said that this order remains in effect amid concerns that other goods or services could likewise lose availability or rise in price.
COVID-19 has claimed three more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 497, the Oregon Health Authority reported yesterday. Oregon Health Authority reported 187 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 28,654.
Eight new cases were reported in Jackson County. Two new cases were reported here in Klamath County.
During Oregon’s wildfires and safety evacuations, it is important to take precautions to avoid spreading COVID-19, particularly for those in isolation or quarantine due to a positive diagnosis or exposure to the virus. The first priority in wildfire situations is responding to the evacuation and safety instructions of local and state fire officials – and heeding their warnings. Regardless of disease status, if you are asked or ordered to evacuate, you should do so.
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