The Urban Search and Rescue Team has completed 431 structural evaluations in the Holiday Farm Fire area. The team started at the eastern edge of the fire in the community of Rainbow and have been working west down the Highway 126 corridor. The team expects to assess structures in the community of Blue River today. The team has assessed approximately 30 percent of the 1018 structures in the fire area. Structures include commercial buildings, residences and outbuildings.
The Incident Meteorologist forecasted that today’s weather may lighten the smoke inversion which could increase fire behavior.
On a fire of this scale, fire crews are conducting small burnout operations to connect fire control lines and limit fire spread. In addition, the fire crews are using bull dozers and other heavy equipment, largely provided by private industrial landowners, to construct containment lines along the fire edge or open up existing road systems in preparation for additional burnout opportunities. The Leaburg Dam has been repowered and refilled. It is now available as a strategic dip site for heavy helicopters with quick access to the most populated areas near the fire perimeter.The Lane and Linn County Sheriff Offices continue to work with fire operations personnel to modify evacuation zones where appropriate.
For the latest information on evacuation areas, please visit:Lane County: www.lanecounty.org/mckenziefireLinn County: www.linnsheriff.org/fire_live_updates_sept_2020/Please continue to monitor cell phones, landlines, local media and official information sources for evacuation updates. Fire managers request that the public please avoid the area. Roads are closed in the fire area and much of the Willamette National Forest (WNF) and Salem/Eugene BLM. Road hazards include falling trees and rocks and debris. For more information on closures on the WNF visit:https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/willamette/alerts-notices/?aid=61574
For more information on closures on the BLM visit:https://www.blm.gov/press-release/extreme-fire-activity-prompts-closure-bureau-land-management-lands-northwestern-oregonFire personnel are warmed by the community’s support but are unable to accept donations or use volunteers. The fire must use individuals with the appropriate qualifications. Those looking to volunteer or donate can connect with local organizations at: https://www.lanecounty.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=17035134 https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7170/56013/
Residents who are affected by the McKenzie/Holiday Farm Fire who have inquiries may call Lane County’s non-emergency call center at 541-682-3977 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. After-hours calls will be transferred to the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency phone line.
If you are under an evacuation notice, please comply with requests made for Level 1 (Be Ready), Level 2 (Be Set) and Level 3 (GO NOW).
Smoke Respite Shelter Information
Cottage Grove:
Cottage Grove City Hall (400 E Main Street) Space for five people. 8am-5pm 541-942-5501
[open weekends only, to offset when Cottage Grove City Hall is closed] Coast Fork Watershed Office (28 S. 6th Street, Suite A) 8am-5pm 541-767-9717
Eugene:
Lane Events Center (796 W. 13th Ave.) open 24 hours
Hilyard Community Center (2580 Hilyard Street) 9am-5pm
Junction City:
King’s Grace Fellowship (48 18th Avenue) Call ahead to Pastor Sara Eads to confirm space (541-514-9298). Showers and laundry available. www.kingsgrace.com
Lane County Fire Map – McKenzie Evacuation Areas https://lcgisorg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e3f1d9c8f72f40ce8d40e0b97935ec54
A Jackson County grand jury has officially charged the man accused of starting a fire behind a Phoenix neighborhood on the night the Almeda Fire burned north from Ashland, the county District Attorney’s office announced on Tuesday.
The indictment included a total of 32 counts — two counts of Arson in the First Degree, 15 counts of Criminal Mischief in the First Degree, 14 counts of Recklessly Endangering Another Person, and one count for Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine. Only the last charge is a new addition.
41-year-old Michael Jarrod Bakkela was arraigned in Jackson County Circuit Court on Monday. Appearing via a video monitor from the county jail, Bakkela entered an initial plea of “not guilty.”
Bakkela’s bail has been set at $5 million. An out-of-county public defender will be appointed for him. Bakkela has an extensive criminal history in Jackson County alone — including a mix of misdemeanor drug charges and more serious felonies, though no previous charges for arson.
Local leaders are urging President Trump to declare a major disaster in Oregon as wildfires continue to ravage the state. Governor Kate Brown announced yesterday she has sent a letter to Trump asking him to declare a major disaster.
Later yesterday, Oregon’s entire Congressional delegation sent Trump a letter urging him to swiftly approve Brown’s request. Trump is expected to do so shortly. The Federal Emergency Management Administration previously approved critical disaster funding last week. However, the Oregon delegation says the state’s situation has worsened since then, with the death toll climbing, hazardous smoke blanketing the state and entire communities lying decimated.
The search continues for dozens of people who are missing among deadly wildfires burning across the state of Oregon.
The Oregon Office of Emergency Management says 50 people are unaccounted for, with 22 of those people confirmed as missing. The agency is urging all evacuees to register with the American Red Cross as they continue to search for survivors. So far, ten people have been killed by the fires, according to the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office. Officials initially reported ten deaths yesterday, but authorities in Jackson County have determined two sets of remains thought to be human were actually animals.
Meanwhile, the governor calls the smoke blanketing the state a reminder that “this tragedy has not yet come to an end.”
Pacific Power says electric service is coming back on for customers across the region as more than 500 Pacific Power employees and contractors are at work repairing equipment and jump- starting community recovery from Lincoln City to Glide to Happy Camp.
As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, approximately 5,500 customers remain without service in Oregon and northern California due to damage inflicted by a historic wind storm. At peak a week ago, more than 60,000 were without power. Most recently, power was restored to 800 customers in Lincoln City.
“This has been a tremendously trying week for all our customers affected by this unparalleled disaster,” said David Lucas, vice president of operations. “Our communities are showing such resilience and their appreciation for the frontline responders and our crews is a terrific statement about the people we are privileged to serve.”
Communities with the largest number of customers without power include:
- Medford area, 3,100 customers
- Happy Camp, Calif., 300
- Lincoln City, 700
- Glide/Umpqua Canyon, 500
A county judge has decided the Oregon Republican Party should be permitted to place its November election statement in the state voting guide although the secretary of state’s office says the party missed the deadline by seconds.
Judge Channing Bennett on Monday ruled that Republican chairman Bill Currier completed his portion of the transaction in the minute before the 5 p.m. deadline on Aug. 25, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. Bennett said that is more important than the time at which the state finished processing the filing.
Democrats, looking for any way to thwart Republicans in the state, have refused to comment and neither has Gov. Brown’s office. It wasn’t immediately known if the state would appeal. Bennett said The Oregon Voters’ Pamphlet, which includes statements from candidates and information on ballot measures, must go to print Friday to get to voters on time.
Alaska Airlines has suspended many flights in and out of Portland this week as wildfire smoke inundates the region. It’s also suspending operations in Spokane and canceling some flights in Eugene, Medford, Redmond, Pasco and Walla Walla.
Those expecting to travel in the next few days should contact the airline to check on cancellations. Alaska is the busiest airline serving PDX. The suspension also applies to sister airline Horizon Air.
The Port of Portland, which runs the airport, said no other airline has taken a similar step yet. It said Alaska canceled 74 flights Monday. The coronavirus pandemic had already severely diminished travel through PDX. Alaska’s decision Monday, though, underscores just how awful Oregon’s wildfire crisis has become.
On September 7, multiple fires along Highway 22 swept through the Fishermen’s Bend Recreation Site, destroying much of the popular BLM-managed campground.
Upon visiting the site, an American flag that had not been lowered upon evacuation was found proudly flying over the charred ground.
The much-loved Fishermen’s Bend Recreation Site just 30 minutes east of Salem featured dozens of campsites, well-groomed hiking trails, and tremendous river access, including a boat ramp, in the Cascade foothills.
Apart from the flag, “very little else remains at the recreation site,” according to Northwest District Manager Jose Linares.
To see more images of the remains of the Fishermen’s Bend Recreation Site, visit BLM-OR/WA’s Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=50169152%40N06&view_all=1&text=Fire%20destroys%20Fishermen%27s%20Bend%20Recreation%20Site
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of a Portland-area man, Richard Eric Singlestad, for his role in the recent civil unrest.
The FBI has charged Singlestad, age 26, with civil disorder for an alleged assault on a law enforcement officer. As part of this fugitive effort, the FBI is also releasing an “FBI Wanted” poster and Facebook ad.
This is a joint investigation with the U.S. Marshals Service. Anyone with information on Singlestad’s location can call the U.S. Marshals Service at (800) 336-0102, submit a tip online at https://www.usmarshals.gov/tips/, call the FBI at (503) 224-4181, or submit a tip online to the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov.
Richard Eric Singlestad
Sex: Male
Race: White
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 170
Hair: Blond
Eyes: Hazel
According to the FBI criminal complaint filed in this case, at approximately 10:30 p.m. on June 27, 2020, Portland Police Bureau (PPB) declared an unlawful assembly and ordered a group of individuals in the area of SW 3rd Avenue and Main Street to disperse. The crowd remained in the area. When PPB officers responded to move the crowds out of the area and clear barricades that had been placed in the street, the crowd began throwing rocks, glass bottles, and paint at the officers. Officers were able to clear the crowd and re-open the streets. After officers left the area, the crowd returned and blocked the street again.
At approximately 1:20 a.m. on June 28, 2020, the crowd moved to block the door to the PPB Central Precinct and the roll down gates located at 1111 SW 2nd Avenue. Officers inside Central Precinct could hear the demonstrators ramming the front door with a hard object. An officer observed Singlestad standing less than five feet away with a skateboard gripped in both hands. Based on the noise heard, Singlestad’s location, and the skateboard in his hands, the officer believed Singlestad was the person who had been hitting the door. While Singlestad was being taken into custody, he resisted arrest by forcefully pulling his arms away from officers and striking one officer in the face with the skateboard. The officer experienced swelling, significant pain, and discoloration in his face as a result of the strike.
Singlestad’s FBI wanted poster can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/additional/richard-eric-singlestad