2021 Oregon wildfires explained

2021 Oregon wildfires
Time-Begin:May 15, 2021
Time-End:January 12, 2022
Total Fires:1,661
Total Area:827596acres
Fatalities:1[1]
Year:2021
Season Name:Oregon wildfires
Is Season:yes

The 2021 Oregon wildfire season began in May 2021.[2] More than 1,000 fires had burned at least 518303acres across the state as of July 21, 2021.[3] [4] [5] As of August 1, it was expected that the fires might not be contained for months.[6]

The wildfire season in Oregon experienced an early start due to an abnormally dry spring coupled with low snowpack levels amid an ongoing drought.[7] The 2021 season has been outpacing the destructive previous season, with nearly 10 times as many acres have burned as of July 20 compared to the previous year through that date, according to the NIFC's Northwest Coordination Center.

Background

Oregon has been experiencing increasingly large fire seasons over the last few decades, with the preceding 2020 wildfire season being one of the most destructive in the state's history.[8] As with much of the rest of the Western United States,[9] fire officials were predicting another above-average season in 2021 due to expected low precipitation and high temperatures.[10] The state's declaration of the start of wildfire season in mid-May marked the earliest start to a fire season in the state in over 40 years. In preparation for the wildfire season, forest officials performed prescribed burns and state lawmakers worked on wildfire-mitigation legislation designed to create wildfire risk maps, update building codes, and create new rules related to defensible space around homes in the wildland–urban interface.

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than, or produced significant structural damage or casualties.

NameCountyAcresStart dateContainment dateNotesRef
PoninaKlamath1,641Lightning-sparked[11] [12]
Dry CreekWallowa1,564Lightning-sparked[13] [14]
Joseph CanyonWallowa, Asotin (WA)Lightning-sparked[15]
S-503Wasco6,822Unknown cause, 3 injuries[16] [17]
CutoffKlamath1,288Unknown cause, 22 structures destroyed, 1 injury[18] [19] [20]
Wrentham MarketWasco7,222Unknown cause, 2 structures destroyed[21] [22]
RattlesnakeWasco, Jefferson5,479Unknown cause[23]
Ryegrass 0444 RSCrook1,102Lightning-sparked[24]
UptonHarney1,500Lightning-sparked
JackDouglas24,165Human-caused, 18 injuries[25]
BootlegKlamath, Lake413,717Lightning-sparked, merged with the Log Fire on July 19, 408 structures destroyed, 342 vehicles destroyed,[26] 20 injuries. It was the largest wildfire in the United States in the 2021 wildfire season, until it was overtaken by the Dixie Fire in Northern California in early August.[27] [28] [29] [30]
GrandviewJefferson, Deschutes6,032Unknown cause, 3 injuries[31] [32]
LogLake, Klamath16,337Unknown cause, merged with the Bootleg Fire on July 19
Elbow CreekWallowa22,960Unknown cause, 6 structures destroyed, 8 injuries[33] [34]
Deep Creek 0685 RNWasco1,250Lightning-sparked[35]
Middle Fork ComplexLane30,928Unknown cause, 2 injuries, 1 firefighter fatality. The complex consists of 12 individual fires, of which the largest are the Gales Creek Fire and the Kwis Fire.[36]
Rough Patch ComplexLane50,563Lightning-sparked. The complex consists of 19 individual fires, of which the largest is the Chaos Fire.[37]
Skyline Ridge ComplexDouglas5,760Lightning-sparked. The complex consists of numerous individual fires, of which the largest are the Poole Fire and the Dismal Creek 210 Fire Fire.[38]
Bull ComplexMarion24,894Lightning-sparked, 1 structure destroyed. Formerly referred to as the Janus Complex. The complex consists of 5 individual fires, of which the largest are the Janus Fire, the Ridge Fire, and the Kola Fire.[39]
Black ButteGrant22,445Lightning-sparked, 6 injuries[40] [41]
Devil's Knob ComplexDouglas70,110Lightning-sparked, 1 structure destroyed. The complex consists of 52 individual fires.[42]
Fox ComplexLake9,754Lightning-sparked, 4 structures destroyed. The complex consists of the Patton Meadow Fire and the Willow Valley Fire.[43]
Cougar PeakLake91,810Unknown cause, 10 structures destroyed, 9 injuries[44]
Big MeadowHarney2,643Lightning-sparked, 3 injuries

Response

At the end of July 2021, Governor Kate Brown signed a bill to invest $220 million in wildfire prevention, preparedness, and response.[45]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Krauss. Louis. Updated: Firefighter killed working Gales Fire first to die in Oregon wildfire season. August 25, 2021. The Register-Guard. August 25, 2021.
  2. Web site: Fire season begins Saturday for some parts of Oregon. 2021-06-15. opb. en.
  3. News: Goldwasser . Max . 'We haven't peaked yet': Oregon already outpacing historic, devastating 2020 wildfire season . July 23, 2021 . . July 20, 2021.
  4. News: Stites . Sam . Samayoa . Monica . 'This is not going to return to normal anytime soon': Lightning could further fuel Oregon's active fire season . July 21, 2021 . . July 20, 2021.
  5. News: Stites . Sam . Oregon takes an ambitious swing at addressing wildfire with proposed $190 million investment . June 28, 2021 . . June 25, 2021.
  6. Web site: Jones. Dustin. 1 August 2021. Western Wildfires May Take Weeks To Months To Contain. live. 2021-08-05. NPR.org. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210801043726/https://www.npr.org/2021/08/01/1023274008/western-wildfires-oregon-california-drought . 2021-08-01 .
  7. News: Oregon Dept. of Forestry's C.O. District to declare fire season Saturday; earliest start in over 40 years . July 21, 2021 . . May 13, 2021.
  8. News: Bull . Brian . Decades Of Increasing Wildfire Destruction Finds Oregon On Brink Of Another Intense Season . July 21, 2021 . . May 7, 2021.
  9. Web site: Western states brace for 'very active wildfire season' following warm, dry winter. 2021-04-04. NBC News. 2 April 2021 . en.
  10. News: Bull . Brian . 2021's Wildfire Forecast Shows Steadily Rising Risk Level From May Into August . July 21, 2021 . . May 19, 2021.
  11. Web site: Ponina Fire near Klamath Falls, Oregon - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center. June 27, 2021. FireWeatherAvalanche.org. en-US.
  12. News: Gailey . Brian . Full containment expected later today on Ponina Fire . June 28, 2021 . Klamath Falls News . April 23, 2021.
  13. Web site: June 11, 2021. Dry Creek Fire Information. InciWeb.
  14. Web site: 2021 Large Incidents Year-to-Date (ICS-209). July 6, 2021. Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. July 7, 2021.
  15. Web site: June 11, 2021. Joseph Canyon Fire Information. InciWeb.
  16. Web site: May 22, 2021. S-503 Information. InciWeb.
  17. Web site: June 30, 2021. State of Oregon Fires and Hotspots Dashboard. June 30, 2021.
  18. Web site: June 3, 2021. Cutoff Fire Information. InciWeb.
  19. Web site: Update from the Cutoff Fire for June 26, 2021 . . June 28, 2021.
  20. Web site: July 1, 2021. National Interagency Coordination Center Incident Management Situation Report Thursday, July 1, 2021– 0730 MDT National Preparedness Level 4. nifc.gov. July 1, 2021. July 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183634/https://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/IMSR/2021/20210701IMSR.pdf. dead.
  21. News: Wrentham Market Fire grows to 10K acres, Gov. Brown invokes Emergency Conflagration Act . June 30, 2021 . . June 30, 2021.
  22. Web site: July 3, 2021. Wrentham Market Fire Information. InciWeb. July 3, 2021.
  23. Web site: July 3, 2021. Rattlesnake Fire Information. InciWeb. July 3, 2021.
  24. Web site: July 5, 2021. National Interagency Coordination Center Incident Management Situation Report Monday, July 5, 2021– 0730 MDT National Preparedness Level 4. nifc.gov. July 7, 2021. July 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709185404/https://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/IMSR/2021/20210705IMSR.pdf. dead.
  25. Web site: July 6, 2021. Jack Fire Information. InciWeb. July 6, 2021.
  26. News: Western wildfires calm down in cool weather, but losses grow. July 27, 2021. Associated Press. July 28, 2021.
  27. News: Evacuations called due to 1,500-acre fire east of Roseburg; new 3,000-acre fire on Fremont-Winema Forest . July 6, 2021 . . . July 6, 2021.
  28. Web site: July 18, 2021. Bootleg Fire Information. InciWeb. July 18, 2021.
  29. Web site: August 6, 2021. Dixie Fire (CA) Information. InciWeb. August 6, 2021.
  30. Web site: August 15, 2021. National Interagency Coordination Center Incident Management Situation Report Sunday, August 15, 2021– 0730 MDT National Preparedness Level 5. nifc.gov. August 15, 2021. August 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210821225611/https://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/IMSR/2021/20210815IMSR.pdf. dead.
  31. Web site: July 12, 2021. Grandview Fire Information. InciWeb. July 12, 2021.
  32. Web site: July 26, 2021. National Interagency Coordination Center Incident Management Situation Report Monday, July 26, 2021– 0730 MDT National Preparedness Level 5. nifc.gov. July 26, 2021. July 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210728184441/https://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/IMSR/2021/20210726IMSR.pdf. dead.
  33. Web site: July 16, 2021. Elbow Creek Fire Information. InciWeb. July 16, 2021.
  34. Web site: August 12, 2021. National Interagency Coordination Center Incident Management Situation Report Thursday, August 12, 2021– 0730 MDT National Preparedness Level 5. nifc.gov. August 12, 2021. August 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210821225610/https://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/IMSR/2021/20210812IMSR.pdf. dead.
  35. Web site: August 1, 2021. Deep Creek Fire Information. InciWeb. August 1, 2021.
  36. Web site: August 4, 2021. Middle Fork Complex Fire Information. InciWeb. August 4, 2021.
  37. Web site: August 6, 2021. Rough Patch Complex Fire Information. InciWeb. August 6, 2021.
  38. Web site: August 6, 2021. Skyline Ridge Complex Fire Information. InciWeb. August 6, 2021.
  39. Web site: August 14, 2021. Bull Complex Fire Information. InciWeb. August 14, 2021.
  40. Web site: August 6, 2021. Black Butte Fire Information. InciWeb. August 6, 2021.
  41. Web site: September 1, 2021. National Interagency Coordination Center Incident Management Situation Report Wednesday, September 1, 2021– 0730 MDT National Preparedness Level 5. nifc.gov. September 1, 2021. September 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210909212955/https://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/IMSR/2021/20210901IMSR.pdf. dead.
  42. Web site: August 7, 2021. Devil's Knob Complex Fire Information. InciWeb. August 7, 2021.
  43. Web site: August 15, 2021. Fox Complex Fire Information. InciWeb. August 15, 2021.
  44. Web site: September 10, 2021. Cougar Peak Fire Information. InciWeb. September 10, 2021.
  45. Web site: O'Connor. Lydia. 2021-07-30. Oregon Investing $220 Million To Handle Growing Wildfire Problem. 2021-08-11. HuffPost. en.

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