Firefighters gain 13 percent containment on Green Ridge Fire

With fire lines on the Green Ridge Fire holding for the second day in a row, firefighters will continue on Tuesday to focus on the demanding task of mopping up. The fire, now at 13 percent containment, is staffed with 20 20-person hand crews that will improve the existing lines, locate and deal with hazard trees, grid and patrol for spot fires, and mop up any hot spots within 25 feet of the existing hand and dozer lines. Engine crews will mop up areas accessible by road and firefighters will work to get hoselays around the rest of the fire to bring water to the mop-up efforts.

Cloud cover and cooler weather will help to slow fire spread and decrease fire intensity. As fire crews progress with mop up, less smoke will generally be visible, and the local community should start to see improvement in the air quality. Over the next several days, residents can still expect to see small columns of smoke as pockets of unburned fuel on the interior of the fire are consumed. Wind continues to impact suppression efforts and crews constantly patrol and suppress spot fires caused by embers blowing outside the line.

A Red Flag Warning has been issued for thunderstorms, dry lightning and gusty winds. Although the Sisters Ranger District is excluded from the warning, storms passing nearby could still affect fire behavior with winds in excess of 20 mph. The Oregon Department of Forestry, Incident Management Team 3, livestreamed a virtual public meeting last night. The overview of the current situation including updates on the fire’s condition, predicted weather and fire behavior, and operations strategies for the next several days was recorded and will be available on the Green Ridge Fire Facebook page for anyone who missed the meeting.

The Level 1 Evacuation notices for residences around the fire remain in place. The Sisters Ranger District, expanded the Forest Area Closure to the north and east of the fire. FS Road 14 and associated campgrounds remains open. For information about evacuation notices and Forest Area Closures go to: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7012/.