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@forestgrovefire
September 13, 2020
4:00 pm
This will be the final update from this fire unless conditions change. Owing to the hard work and quick reactions of firefighters with Gaston Rural Fire District, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue the Oregon Department of Forestry, and many other cooperating agencies, the Powerline Fire is well secured. Over the last several days, crews have been able to cool hot spots around the perimeter of the fire to build a wide band of fuel-free area ensuring the fire will not grow. Fire managers expect that the mop up work will be complete today. The Oregon Department of Forestry will be turning the fire back over to Gaston Rural Fire District this evening. Crews will also be working on retrieving hose and other equipment from the fireline to start cleaning and preparing it for future calls. The next task for this fire will be daily patrols of the area to watch for any unexpected flare ups while waiting for the fall rains to fully extinguish the fire.
While this fire has been contained, fire managers would like to ask everyone to continue to practice vigilance in ensuring that no new fire starts occur. Extremely limited resources nationwide, combined with extreme fire danger will make it challenging to control any new fire starts.
The Oregon Department of Forestry wishes to express deep gratitude to the following individuals, companies, and organizations for assistance in controlling the fire and supporting firefighters in their efforts:
- Gaston Rural Fire District
- Forest Grove Fire & Rescue
- Cornelius Fire Department
- Yamhill Fire Protection District
- Hillsboro Fire and Rescue
- Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District
- Clatsop County Structural Task Force
- Washington County Parks (Henry Hagg Lake)
- Washington County Sheriff’s Office
- Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office
- Metro West Ambulance
- TJ Forestry
- Scott Land & Timber
- Stimson Lumber Company
- John Ragsdale Logging
- Hampton Lumber
- Weyerhaeuser Company (Mount St. Helens Hand Crew)
- Bighorn Logging
- Bernards Contracting
- Bridger Aerospace, LLC (scooper planes)
- Forest Grove District Staff, Oregon Department of Forestry
- Tillamook Forest Center Staff, Oregon Department of Forestry
- Dave Johnson, ODF Retired
- Dan Thorpe, ODF Retired
- Primetime Restaurant & Sports Bar
- And many, many others who generously stepped up to support. We truly appreciate you.
Weather and Fire Behavior:
The forecast for the day today is expected to be mostly cloudy and smoky, with fog in the morning. Temperatures will be between 64 and 69 degrees with 55-65% relative humidity. Tonight, temperatures will drop to 46-53 degrees and relative humidity will rise to over 90%.
Fire Statistics
Location: approx. 2 miles northeast of Cherry Grove, OR
Size: 126 acres* (estimated acreage has been reduced due to more accurate mapping)
Start Date: 9/8/20, approximately 6:00 am
Wildland resources assigned to the fire include (day and night shifts): 3 hand crews, 11 engines, 1 dozer, 1 excavator, 3 water tenders, and overhead personnel.
Total personnel: 109
Evacuations and closures:
All remaining evacuation orders will be lifted at 7:00 pm tonight. Local residents should be aware that there will still be small amounts of smoke coming from the area within the perimeter of the fire. This is to be expected.
Hagg Lake/Scoggins Valley Park will remain closed until further notice.
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Look forward to general follow-up information and our own thank you list from Gaston Fire tomorrow.