CHERRY GROVE, Ore. — Evacuation levels around the Lee Falls Fire, the wildfire that started Thursday near Henry Hagg Lake, were lowered Friday evening as fire crews reported great progress. Residents in the community of Cherry Grove and some surrounding areas were being allowed to return home.
As of Sunday morning, the fire has been held at 290 acres, fire officials reported. The fire is 25% contained and 100% lined, although crews were still working to build on those lines in order to improve containment.
As of Saturday afternoon, the Gaston Fire Department said that they are in the process of demobilizing some structural fire teams, which means that incident command feels there's no imminent threat to homes. Evacuations, however, are still in place, and Hagg Lake remains closed.
"Over the last couple of days, we've had two to three helicopters getting water from Hagg Lake and dropping it on the fire, helping those ground crews get the fire control," said Derek Gasperini with the Oregon Department of Forestry. Gasperini also praised the combination of all resources available — hand crews, heavy equipment, helicopter water drops and structural protection — saying they were instrumental in Friday's progress.
As of 3 p.m. Saturday, the Washington County Sheriff's Office removed all Level 3 evacuations, reducing them to Level 2, Gasperini said. No structures were damaged or lost.
PGE is also working to restore power in some areas, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
The latest evacuation levels can be found on the Washington County Sheriff's Office Facebook page or at this interactive map, where people can search for their address and check their evacuation status.
The Oregon Department of Forestry said that its crews, structural firefighters from multiple agencies, contract firefighters and adults in custody from South Fork Forest Camp worked throughout the day to build dozer and hand lines around the fire, with support from three helicopters doing water drops and the aid of favorable weather.
“Today was a great day for the firefighters and the community,” said Gert Zoutendijk, acting public information officer with Gaston Fire. “What that means is that there is a line of at least three feet, maybe more, of bulldozer line, it’s like bare dirt.”
Now, according to ODF, it's on to the arduous process of mopping up the fire; cooling the perimeter to reduce the chances of spot fires or heat igniting dry vegetation beyond the line. Once mop-up is done in an area, then that stretch can be considered a containment line.
Part of the suppression effort has included protecting homes in Cherry Grove, an unincorporated community of about 500 people near the fire, and other properties located to the west and north of the fire. On Friday, firefighters worked to increase defensible space around homes, extinguishing any spot fires within 100 feet of any structure.
“You are still going to see police and fire in the area because they are going to spot check and make sure things are safe even throughout the night, but the most important thing is we had no structure loss,” said David Huey, public information officer with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
ODF said task forces from Washington, Tillamook, Marion and Yamhill counties were helping to fight the fire.
Resources for evacuees
A Red Cross shelter is open at New Life Church, located at 202 Church Street in Gaston. Household pets are allowed there, though pet owners should bring crates and other pet supplies if possible.
To find out about evacuation shelter information, please call the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 or 503-284-1234.
Evacuated livestock from the Lee Falls Fire can be taken to the Washington County Fairgrounds. Livestock from other counties cannot be accepted at the fairgrounds.
What do evacuation levels mean?
Level 1 Notice - Be Ready: Residents should be aware of the danger that exists in their area and monitor local media outlets for information. Residents with special needs should take note and begin making arrangements to evacuate. Evacuations at this time are voluntary.
Level 2 Notice - Be Set: This level indicates there is significant danger to your area, and residents should either voluntarily relocate to a shelter or outside of the affected area, or if choosing to remain, to be ready at a moment's notice. Emergency services cannot guarantee that they will be able to notify you if conditions rapidly deteriorate.
Level 3 Notice - Go Now: Danger to your area is current or imminent, and you should leave immediately. Listen to local media and watch for emergency personnel who may be coming by to give further instructions regarding the evacuation.
Difference between 'lined' and 'contained'
To have a fire lined means that fire crews "have created a break in fuels to stop the progression of the fire," an ODF spokesperson explained to KGW.
Containment goes a step further than lining a fire. It indicates "how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control that that the fire cannot cross."
Said the ODF spokesperson: "That control line starts on the outside and then fire fighters work their way in and start putting out all the hot spots through mop-up operations. The more in they get, the more containment goes up because the potential for growth has gone down since essentially that control line is getting bigger."