Bootleg Fire, July 22

ODF release, July 21, 9:44 a.m. – Location: 28 miles northeast of Klamath Falls, OR. Size: 394,407 acres; Personnel: 2,268; Containment: 32% – Klamath Falls, ORE. – The weather moderated Tuesday with reduced wind speeds, lower temperatures, and slightly higher humidity, which allowed firefighters to continue constructing and improving firelines. Weather conditions were favorable again Wednesday for the efforts to secure existing fireline. On the northern edge of the fire, line was constructed to Long Creek and firefighters scouted a line to tie into the anchor point near the Sycan Marsh Nature Conservancy. The reduced fire activity Tuesday allowed firefighters to construct dozer line directly against the fire edge along the north and east boundary of the Log Fire. There is expected northeast movement of the fire toward Winter Ridge and Summer Lake. Crews and equipment are going direct while also working to improve contingency lines between the fire and those communities and provide structure protection for those homes. Firefighters are continuing to work around the southeastern corner of the fire where the majority of recent growth has occurred. As the fire pushes up into the old Watson Fire burn area, fuels become less continuous and fire behavior is decreased. Crews are challenged by working around many snags in this area but are making good progress. Any fire that spots over or pushes the fire line has the potential for additional rapid growth. Firefighters continue to patrol the fireline along the southern to northwestern flanks of the fire. As crews patrol, they look for places to mitigate risks to the controlled line of the fire. Returning residents to these areas may see unburned fuels within the fire perimeter that will continue to burn and produce smoke for weeks. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office’s (OSFM) Green Team is demobilizing today after working at the fire for two weeks. Tuesday, they worked to support the transition of the incoming Red Team which will continue the OSFM’s mission of protecting lives and homes. The OSFM’s team is working in Unified Command with the two other incident management teams on the Bootleg Fire. “While our Incident Management Team may be transitioning, our dedication to protecting the community remains. Our firefighters are up to the task, their work the last two weeks has undoubtedly protected hundreds of homes and we remain vigilant to the task at hand.” Ian Yocum, Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Team Incident Commander. Evacuations: Evacuations are rapidly changing due to the nature of this wildfire. Interactive map of evacuation levels in Lake and Klamath Counties at: tinyurl.com/bootlegevac