The latest news stories and stories of interest in the Willamette Valley from the digital home of Southern Oregon, from Wynne Broadcasting’s WillametteValleyMagazine.com
Monday, July 12, 2021
Willamette Valley Weather
Today– Sunny, with a high near 88. North wind 5 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.T
Tuesday– Sunny, with a high near 89. Light north northwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday– Sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming north northwest 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.
Thursday– Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.
Friday– Sunny, with a high near 80.
Oregon reports 265 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 2 new deaths
There are two new COVID-19 related deaths in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 2,792. The Oregon Health Authority reported 265 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 210,229.
The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Baker (7), Benton (7), Clackamas (15), Clatsop (1), Columbia (1), Coos (3), Crook (1), Deschutes (16), Douglas (17), Grant (3), Harney (3), Jackson (22), Jefferson (3), Josephine (15), Klamath (2), Lane (11), Lincoln (6), Linn (13), Marion (26), Morrow (1), Multnomah (31), Polk (4), Sherman (1), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (16), Union (5), Wasco (5), Washington (20) and Yamhill (8).
Vaccinations in Oregon
Today, OHA reported that 6,920 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 3,280 doses were administered on July 8 and 3,640 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on July 8.
The seven-day running average is now 5,335 doses per day.
Oregon has now administered 2,568,978 first and second doses of Pfizer, 1,753,885 first and second doses of Moderna and 172,716 single doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
As of today, 2,423,996 people have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 2,222,166 people have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series.
Cumulative daily totals can take several days to finalize because providers have 72 hours to report doses administered and technical challenges have caused many providers to lag in their reporting. OHA has been providing technical support to vaccination sites to improve the timeliness of their data entry into the state’s ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS).
To date, 2,968,245 doses of Pfizer, 2,258,400 doses of Moderna and 299,100 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered to sites across Oregon.
These data are preliminary and subject to change. Updated vaccination data are provided on Oregon’s COVID-19 data dashboards and have been updated today.
COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 across Oregon is 99, which is one fewer than yesterday and the lowest number OHA has reported since Sept. 14, 2020. There are 26 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit (ICU) beds, which is two fewer than yesterday.
The total number of patients in hospital beds may fluctuate between report times. The numbers do not reflect admissions per day, nor the length of hospital stay. Staffing limitations are not captured in this data and may further limit bed capacity. More information about hospital capacity can be found here.
LOCAL HEADLINES:
Fire in Junction City
Multiple fire agencies in Lane County responded to a fire in Junction City on Sunday night. It started around 4:30 p.m. in the area of Prairie Road and Meadowview Road.
Officials said the log decks off of the Wood Recovery mill started burning and spread to nearby brush and grass. The owners of the mill said a sawdust pile from Seneca Sawmill Company is how the fire started.
“The Seneca sawdust pile started the fire and it spread to our log deck,” said Wood Recovery Inc. owner Dennis Vanwyk.
Officials have not confirmed the cause of the fire at this time.
“It started out as a chip pile that called in. There was smoking which quickly led to flames,” Junction City Fire Chief Brandon Nichol said. “Conditions are really really low humidity, really high temperatures.”
As of 6:00 p.m., Highway 99 between Meadowview Road and OR-36 was closed. Nicol said he expects the fire to burn for three to four more days. They will continue to monitor the situation. Nicol said he expects those roads to open up tonight.
Officials said they currently don’t know the cause of the fire. The small fire jumped into an adjacent field, they said.
Officials said no injuries have been reported yet but some in the area were asked to evacuate. Neighbors said this isn’t the first time this has happened.
“This is the third time this has happened,” said resident Colleen Ryder. “This is the worst one so we’re a little worried because they shut down the freeway and they also said be ready to evacuate.”
Smoke is expected to be seen throughout Lane County, officials said. Officials said don’t call 911 unless you see a column rising.
Nicol said he urges citizens to remain patient while they continue to work.
Officials said they expect to battle the fire for the next few days. The cause of the fire has not been confirmed. Nearby residents say this isn’t the first time this has happened in the area.
Two Men Die in Aircraft Crash Near Millersburg
Two men from Albany, Oregon, were killed when a homebuilt trike aircraft they were in crashed near Millersburg on Friday night.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office said the crash happened before 9 p.m. in a field behind Deciduous Avenue. When they arrived on scene they found the pilot, 57-year-old Charles Kizer and his passenger 49-year-old Matthew Irish dead at the scene.
They were flying in a North Wing Trike, a two-seater, motorized glider-type aircraft. The sheriff’s office said there were witnesses of the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration has been called to help investigate.
A trike is an ultralight aircraft composed of a robust hang-glider and a powered tricycle.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday that it was an unregistered, homebuilt trike aircraft and they were responding to the scene to investigate the crash.
Motorcyclist Killed In Crash At Barger And Beltline Highway
The Eugene Police Department’s Major Collision Investigation Team responded to the scene of a fatal motorcycle-vehicle crash at the intersection of Barger and the eastbound on-ramp to Beltline.
The incident occurred at 10:22 p.m. on Friday, July 9.
“The male motorcyclist is deceased,” EPD said. “The female driver of the sedan is uninjured.”
Traffic was closed at Barger Drive and Beltline, with Barger closed in both directions until 1:26 a.m. on July 10.
AROUND the STATE of OREGON
WILDFIRE UPDATES
Bootleg Update:
OR-FWF-210321. IMT1, ODF Team 1 (Hessel), NW Team 10 (Lawson) & OSFM Green Team (Lighty). 15 mi NW of Beatty, OR. Start 7/6. Cause: Unknown. 150,812 acres (+74,097). 0% containment. Extreme fire behavior. Timber and brush. Evacuations in effect. Road closures.
Firefighters, emergency managers and other public safety officials on Sunday faced the fifth day in a row of extreme, intense fire behavior on the Bootleg Fire, as hot, dry, windy weather persists in the area. The fire is now estimated at nearly one hundred and fifty thousand acres, or over 61 square miles.
This mega wildfire is disrupting power transmission to California and the Southwest, precisely when it’s most desperately need to keep people cool in the midst of a heatwave.
Those conditions escalated Saturday afternoon, resulting life-threatening risk to public and emergency responder safety.
Conditions were so extreme that firefighters disengaged and moved to predetermined safety zones. This extreme fire behavior resulted in approximately four miles of fire growth both to the east and north.
The fire moved through Sycan Estates, crossed the East-West road, and burned about eight additional miles along the high voltage powerline corridor (for a total of 12 miles).
Damage to structures and infrastructure is being assessed; some structures have been lost. There have been no reported fatalities. On the southwest side of the fire, light winds and lighter fuel conditions allowed firefighters, structure protection teams, and air support to be successful in minimizing fire growth to the south (communities of Klamath Forest Estates/Moccasin Hills, Tablelands). Western movement of the fire toward Chiloquin was also minimal.
Dangerously unstable conditions will promote extreme growth of the Bootleg Fire today. This fire has already shown the potential for extreme growth by doubling in size each day for the last 3 days. If you live in an area under a level 2 evacuation, get set to leave at a moment’s notice. If you live in a level 3 evacuation zone, your life is in danger and should leave immediately if you haven’t already.
Always listen to officials for evacuation information, and we always recommend leaving if you do not feel comfortable with the situation.
Check to see if you live in an evacuation zone at: https://www.oregon.gov/oem/emops/Pages/RAPTOR.aspx
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office has begun to issue citations and will make arrests if necessary to keep people out of the level 3 evacuation areas. They have advised people to evacuate over the last several days. Some have not listened to those warnings and continue to travel within the restricted area. This violates the closure restrictions and interferes with firefighting and lifesaving efforts.
The Klamath County Sheriff’s office is advising that if you are in a Level 3 Evacuation Area to please evacuate immediately. This comes as unnecessary traffic in the area east of Sprague River Rd has been hampering fire response and security.
Jack Fire Update:
OR-UPF-000265. IMT2, NW Team 9 (Goff) & OSFM Blue Team (Magers). 20 mi E of Glide, OR. Start 7/5. Cause: Unknown. 10,937 acres (+1,604). 8% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber and brush. Structures threatened. Evacuations in effect. Road, trail and area closures.
The Jack Fire has now reached 10,937 acres with 10% containment. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation orders for areas near the Jack Fire in the Umpqua National Forest. The fire area is still running hot and dry and above normal for this time of year. Winds continue to be out of the north and northwest while wind speeds remain near normal.
On the western edge of the fire, resources continue to brush out vegetation while holding and securing the line along the river and HWY 138.
On the eastern flank, crews continue burning vegetation along containment lines moving south towards Dry Creek.
In the southeast, near Dry Creek, resources have burned vegetation along containment lines to connect the 4760 Road to the areas that have been cleared of vegetation near Dry Creek and Illahee Road.
The most active area of the fire is south of the river and HWY 138. Firefighters have established locations that are suitable for containment lines while providing for firefighter safety. Crews working on all sections of the fire face steep terrain and poison oak related difficulties.
https://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/content/products/intelligence/MORNINGBRIEF.pdf?2015-06-18%2015:01:49
Lava Fire Burns Portions of Railroad Tracks
The Lava Fire, still burning near Mount Shasta in Northern California, damaged a portion of the Union Pacific Railroad on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The damage has forced freight traffic to reroute, created delays and cancellations for Amtrak passengers, and has left Klamath Falls without passenger rail service.
The Coast Starlight train will not serve stops between Eugene and Sacramento until at least mid-July, according to Amtrak. South of the fire, the Coast Starlight will operate only between Los Angeles and Sacramento. Customers north of the fire can continue to travel between Seattle and Eugene, but trains from either direction are no longer
arriving in Klamath Falls.
The portion of the tracks scorched by the Lava Fire east of Highway 97 near Hotlum, Calif., is known as the Dry Canyon Bridge. Union Pacific engineers have been assessing the damage, UP said in an announcement posted June 29 The damage to the rail infrastructure is impacting its operations between Redding, Calif. and Eugene, noting that customers may experience delays in excess of 72 hours.
Weather Outlook for Fires
The Pacific Northwest will stay hot and dry into the middle of the week with poor to moderate overnight relative humidity recoveries on the east side of the region. Breezy winds are expected each afternoon through Cascade gaps and to the east. A shortwave disturbance will cross the region today bringing chances for showers and wet thunderstorms in the northern mountains this afternoon/evening with some residual chances tomorrow.
A broad upper-level trough will approach Wednesday, bringing breezy to windy conditions through Cascade gaps and across the east side basins Wednesday and Thursday. The system will also reduce temperatures toward seasonal normals into the weekend. No precipitation is expected with the system.
Hit-And-Run Driver Sought After Cyclist Killed In Marion County
Oregon State Police and emergency personnel responded to a hit-and-run crash on Highway 551 in Marion County early Sunday morning.
Police say a bicyclist was traveling northbound on the shoulder when they were struck from behind by an SUV. The bicyclist was transported to the hospital where they were later pronounced deceased.
The victim’s identity has not been released.
The driver did not stay at the scene, according to police.
Authorities say evidence recovered at the scene suggests the car involved was a white, 2008-2014 Subaru Tribeca. The suspected SUV would have damage to the front passenger side of the vehicle, including the headlight and passenger side mirror.
OSP is requesting anyone with any information regarding the crash or the suspect vehicle to contact them at 1-800-442-0776 and refer to case #SP21-194026.
The chlorine shortage that was impacting water departments across the Pacific Northwest is over.
Westlake Chemical in Longview, Washington has repaired a transformer and is back in operation. The Portland Water Bureau has resumed normal operations.
They reduced chlorine to the minimum levels required during the shortage to make their supply last longer. They have now returned the amount of chlorine added to drinking water to the regular level.
4.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Oregon Coast
A 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck Saturday afternoon off the southern Oregon coast.
The earthquake hit about 109 miles from Port Orford at 1:42 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It had a depth of over six miles.
One person has reported to the Geological Survey that they felt the temblor, as of about an hour after the event.
Small earthquakes strike often near Oregon’s coast, a regular reminder of the cataclysmic earthquake geologists say will happen when the pressure building between the Juan de Fuca and North American plates breaks.
Oregon officials say there is a 37% chance that a 7.1 magnitude or higher earthquake will happen at the boundary between the two tectonic plates, called the Cascadia Subduction Zone, in the next 50 years.
Magnitude 2.5 to 3 earthquakes are the smallest generally felt by people, while magnitude 4 quakes can cause moderate damage.