The Lee Falls Fire burning in southwest Washington County is well on its way to being under control.
The Oregon Department of Forestry announced Sunday afternoon, Aug. 11, that the fire is 25% contained, in addition to being 100% lined. Meanwhile, many of the emergency response teams are being demobilized, signaling that the severity of the fire is waning.
The fire being 25% contained means that the lines around the fire have held for more than 24 hours and that firefighters are confident that the blaze will not escape from those areas. The fire being 100% lined means that firefighters have dug trenches around the entire perimeter of the flames in an attempt to keep it from spreading.
Another sign the fire is more under control is that firefighting task forces and law enforcement left the area Saturday, Aug. 11, as progress on containing the blaze continued. One of ODF's incident management teams remains on scene to help with mop up operations.
Additionally, as of 11 a.m. Sunday, all of the Level 3 evacuation zones, including the entirety of Cherry Grove, have been downgraded to a Level 2. Level 2 means there is high dangers in the area, and residents should be ready to leave at a moment's notice.
“Cherry Grove community members returning to their homes should remain vigilant and maintain readiness for future evacuations, should fire conditions significantly change,” ODF said in a statement.
As of Sunday, Portland General Electric was coordinating with the fire command to restore power to some areas affected by the fire.
On Sunday, mop up continued, in which firefighters continue to cool the perimeter of the fire to reduce the chance that an ember or heat escapes and spreads the fire.
“As mop up progresses, containment percentage of the fire will increase,” ODF reported.
Ground crews and one helicopter will continue working the fire to increase containment before the final efforts are turned over to the Forest Grove District of ODF, the agency said.
The fire reached 290 acres in total, over twice as large as the 2020 Powerline Fire that damaged a similar area and sent residents evacuating. As for the Lee Falls Fire, the cause remains under investigation.
The Lee Falls Fire began Thursday, Aug. 8, and spread quickly, eventually prompting nearly 600 people to evacuate their homes.
Most Popular
Comments / 0