Residents of the burned neighborhoods in Otis will be allowed back into the fire area from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday.

Property owners will need to show identification with their address. People without complete identification have to contact the county’s call center to make arrangements with the sheriff’s office for access.

The Oregon Department of Forestry announced earlier in the day that 293 homes in the Echo Mountain Fire Complex had been destroyed and an additional 22 damaged. It said “numerous” out-buildings, automobiles, RVs, trailers, boats and other property were also destroyed.

“It’s a miracle that we are able to report that there are no fatalities associated with this incident,” ODF incident commander Rick Dolan said in a news release.

Teams of structural specialists from Idaho have been working since Monday to inventory the property damage. Each of the impacted properties throughout the fire area has been assessed for loss or damage, the ODF said Friday in a news release.

Lincoln County will be publishing a more comprehensive and final list of structures by address at a later date, the agency said.

While the sheriff’s office said Otis-area property owners will be allowed into the area Saturday and Sunday, contractors hired by residents will not because of continued cleanup work by utility crews and firefighters and safety concerns.

Lincoln County also announced that county and community services will be combined in a multi-agency resource center that residents may visit in person next week. Notifications will be made through Lincoln Alerts, local media, online at the county’s website, and the call center when the date, time and location is established.

Any additional questions can be forwarded to the call center at 541-265-0621. Fire damage and recovery information is available on the county’s Echo Mountain Fire website.

 

 

 

Lincoln County allowing some Otis residents to return; sheriff says main return is 2-4 days away

Lincoln County Sheriff Curtis Landers said Wednesday that it will still be two to four more days before most residents in the most heavily burned areas of Otis and Rose Lodge can return to their homes.

“There’s still a lot of trees falling and there’s still fires going on,” Landers told YachatsNews on Wednesday. “With people out of the way crews can take care of issues quicker. They’re doing all they can. We want to do the recovery piece right.”

Early Thursday, the sheriff’s office said it was allowing residents only to return to two small areas: north North Bank Road from Oregon Highway 18 to North Panther Creek Road; and the west portion of north North Bank Road from North Old Scenic Highway 101 to the 0.5 mile marker.

The two areas will have controlled access for residents only. A valid ID with an address for this area will be required for entry into these areas, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. If  residents do not have valid ID with an address they will will need to contact the county’s Call Center to coordinate arrangements with patrol deputies.

The updated evacuation map is on the Echo Mountain Fire website at www.co.lincoln.or.us/echomountainfire

Later Thursday the sheriff’s office took off all evacuation designations south of Highway 18, allowing residents along Northeast Highland Road and Northeast 50th Street to return.

Landers said Wednesday that the amount of property destruction is significant — likely more than the 100 structure loss estimated lost by the Oregon Department of Forestry — and cleanup and recovery efforts will be complicated.

But there will be significant hurdles once residents are allowed to return.

There will be mountains of debris and, because of the age of many homes in the area, many could have asbestos – which will require special disposal techniques under year-old Oregon regulations.

Some small water systems serving the area will need repairs, and restoring electrical power throughout the area will take days.

And then there will be planning issues, Landers says. Will residents be able to simply rebuild or repair, or haul in temporary housing? How quickly can permits be processed? That’s an issue that county and state officials working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency will have to resolve, Landers said.

“It’s a huge undertaking,” the sheriff said. “We know people want to get right back in, but we have to be really cautious.”

Thursday morning the sheriff’s office also offered this advice:

• Do a safety check of your home and property when you return;
• While power has been restored to this area, you may experience some intermittent power disruption over the next few days.
• North Lincoln Sanitary will be coordinating garbage pick up service in your area soon check their website for updates, http://www.northlincolnsanitary.com.
• Fire damage and recovery information is available on the county’s Echo Mtn Fire Complex website.
• If there are additional questions, contact the county’s call center at 541-265-0621, www.co.lincoln.or.us/echomountainfire
• Continue to monitor local media sources, the county website and your telephone devices to receive further information and updates.

 

Some firefighters begin to leave Echo Mountain blaze Thursday

The Oregon Department of Forest said Thursday that a few resources are starting to leave the Echo Mountain fire complex in Otis and Rose Lodge.

The fire remained at 2,552 acres overnight and containment reached 45 percent.

In a news release, the agency said firefighters continue to identify and mitigate hazard trees, focusing on trees that may threaten structures, infrastructure and travel routes. Teams of skilled tree fallers are brought in to do this work, often from local timber companies.

Fire managers ask that as residents begin to return home, they consider the hazards that may still persist in the area. While fire crews have done their best to identify snags and dangerous trees, there may be trees that have been weakened by the fire.

In addition to these overhead hazards, many ground-level hazards may persist as well including stump holes and ash pits.

The ODF’s West Oregon District is mobilizing a Type 4 incident management team to take command when Type 1 team leaves to provide oversight to firefighting operations.

FEMA announces aid to individuals affected by fire

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced that residents of Lincoln County and seven others affected by Oregon’s wildfires can apply for federal disaster assistance.

Assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. To apply for the program, visit DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362 (FEMA) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for people with speech and hearing disabilities.

FEMA also announced Thursday that it and and federal partners have deployed teams to Oregon. FEMA also said 1.4 million N-95 masks for emergency responders, shelter operations and health care workers will be shipped from an agency distribution center to Oregon by next week.

 

 

Not much rain Tuesday, but Echo Mountain fire 40 percent contained

The Oregon Department of Forestry reported Wednesday that rainfall totals for Tuesday in the Echo Mountain and Kimberling fires were not as much as firefighters were hoping to receive.

Rain gauges placed in the fire areas showed that the western half of the fire received 0.13 to 0.18 inches of rain. Further to the east, the gauges only received trace amounts of rain.

The lack of rain didn’t slow firefighter’s progress though. While the Echo Mountain Complex remained at 2,552 acres, it is now 40% contained.

There are 600 people working on the fire, including 19 hand crews, 28 engines, 12 water tenders and five bulldozers.

Firefighters are working on mopping up and securing the fire. Mopping up is the methodical process of detecting hotspots around the fire’s perimeter and

removing the heat. This is generally conducted using water, but taking advantage of the high relative humidity to assist is also a tactic firefighters will employ.

Firefighters will continue this process over the next few days to make sure there are no threats to the fire line.

The incident meteorologist is predicting more significant rainfall over the fire area later in the week.

Work continues along Oregon Highway 18, however, the highway is open to through traffic in both directions with pilot cars. But, firefighters, highway crews and others are still working in the area and therefore drive times may be significantly longer than usual.

Areas that were previously in a Level 2 evacuation area have had evacuation orders lifted. The current Level 3 evacuation area remains in place, except for the U.S. Highway 101/Oregon 18 interchange. Residential addresses between milepost 0 and 5 of Highway 18 have been downgraded to a level 2.

For more information on these levels and areas where they apply, please check Lincoln County’s Echo Mountain fire website. Residents affected by evacuations can call the county’s call center at 541-265-0621, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days a week.

 

 

By JUSTIN WERNER/Lincoln City Homepage

LINCOLN CITY — The Lincoln City church community opened a centralized distribution center for donations Tuesday to get needed supplies in the hands of people affected by the Echo Mountain wildfire.

The Echo Mountain Fire Donation Distribution Center is inside the former Loft store at the Lincoln City Outlets, 1500 S.E. East Devils Lake Road.

People needing diapers, food, clothing, shoes, toiletries, toys and other essentials can use the outlet’s parking lot.

Lincoln County Emergency Management also added a donation and volunteer section to its website. It also said donations are not currently needed until current donations are organized and needs of evacuees are assessed.

Lincoln County will be providing support to the center but management will fall to a group of Lincoln City nonprofits that includes, New Life Foursquare Church, Younglife, Coast Vineyard Food Pantry and others.

“We wanted this to be a one-stop-shop for those in need,” said Stephen Lennstrom, lead pastor of New Life Foursquare Church. “Here we can connect people with the right organizations, let them rest, and they can have a dignified shopping experience.”

Lennstrom told a story of a man who had to drive all over Lincoln City to find extra large pants and said that by having things in one place, it’s much easier on people who have lost everything to the fires.

A multitude of people and organizations sprang into action in response to the Echo Mountain Complex Wildfires, raising donations from many people and businesses inside and outside the area.

Lincoln County and church leaders have organized for those donations and others to be picked up by volunteers. People still wanting to donate are asked to not bring donations directly to the new distribution center, but call 541-265-0621 to have them picked up or drop them off at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds in Newport.

Volunteers need to focus on helping those who walk in the door and not have to deal with people dropping off donations.

“One of the benefits of centralization is to make sure people who need it, get it,” said Lennstrom.

Tuesday morning Oregon Department of Forestry news release:

A milestone has been reached for firefighters on the Echo Mountain Fire Complex — 100 percent of the control line has been completed on both fires.

This means that firefighters will be able to shift their focus to mopping up from the perimeter, as well as working with trained falling crews to remove hazardous snags. The fire is now estimated at 2,552 acres.

While the footprint of the fire has not changed, fire resources have been able to collect better mapping intelligence. Containment has reached 33%.

The fire did receive some precipitation early this morning, although amounts were generally less than forecasted. The western edge of the fire was estimated to have received a few 100ths of an inch. A chance of precipitation does persist in the forecast through the next few days.

While precipitation is welcome by firefighters, it does present another dimension of safety concerns, as the ground maybe come slick and footing could be less stable.
Structural resources are still working to complete a structure inventory and damage assessment. These resources have been working over the last two days to identify the function of the structures impacted and the amount of damage incurred.

Oregon Highway 18 from its intersection with U.S. Highway 101 to milepost 5 and many of its arteries remain closed to the public. There is a lot of work occurring along these roads, including hazard tree felling and utility rehabilitation. These activities are necessary to provide for public safety when access is allowed again.

Many areas remain in Level 2 (Set) or Level 3 (Go!) evacuation. Residents affected by evacuations can call the county’s call center at 541-265-0621, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days a week.

Estimated Size: 2,552
Containment: 33%
Start Date/Time: 9/7/2020 11:53 p.m.

Expected Containment Date: 9/30/2020
Cause: Unknown
Personnel: 594
Assigned Resources:
Hand Crews: 20
Engines: 30
Dozers: 6
Water Tenders: 12
Assigned Aircraft: 0
Injuries: 1

Structures Threatened: 4,109

Structures Destroyed: 100

 

Siuslaw National Forest and all its facilities remain closed this week

All of the Siuslaw National Forest – including recreation and roads — will remain closed for the foreseeable future as officials prepare a reopening strategy following the historic windstorm, fires and damage to property last week.

The closures affect all of the agency’s facilities and campgrounds on the central Oregon coast, including those on Cape Perpetua near Yachats.

Managers are assessing fire danger as weather patterns start to shift, and employees begin dealing with hazards along roads and at recreation sites.

The forest remains closed, the agency said in a news release Tuesday, but will re-open gradually as health and safety measures are met.

“There are a lot of factors we must consider as we plan to re-open,” said forest supervisor Robert Sanchez. “The safety of the public, our communities, and our employees is our top priority and we’re working diligently to ensure we can safely begin to re-open as soon as possible.”

Some of the factors that are being considered as part of the re-opening strategy include current fire danger, road and recreation site conditions, and community readiness to invite visitors back to the area.

Fire danger across most of the Siuslaw National Forest is rated extreme, conditions that mean even a small fire start could rapidly grow into a significant fire. At this fire danger level, many activities that could inadvertently ignite a fire, such as using a chainsaw, are restricted.

Hundreds or thousands of trees fell during last week’s wind storm. Engineers and recreation staff are continuing to conduct assessments of storm damage to roads and at recreation sites. However, the persistent fire danger has limited the ability to remove hazard trees.

The capacity to perform assessments is also limited as many employees are helping fight fires in Oregon.

“I understand how disappointing this closure may be for people who were planning on visiting the forest,” said Sanchez. “It’s been a challenging year and I hope to be back to normal operations soon. I’m grateful for the flexibility of our staff and the patience of the public as we move towards re-opening.”

 

 

Monday Updates: Evacuation area shrinks south of Highway 18

Lincoln County emergency officials early Monday dramatically shrank the size of the evacuation area around the Echo Mountain fire complex near Otis and Rose Lodge, allowing homeowners on the south side of Oregon Highway 18 to return to inspect their property.

The area had been evacuated since early Wednesday when 50 mph east winds pushed fires into the communities. Now at 2,435 acres, the Echo Mountain and Kimberling fires are believed to have destroyed 100 structures, mostly north of Highway 18.

People living east of Rose Lodge along or off of Highway 18 and residents living south of Highway 18 from Rose Lodge to East Devils Lake Road are allowed to return to check on property, the county announced at 6 a.m. Monday.

Highway 18 remains closed for five miles from its intersection with U.S. Highway 101. The east roadblock – manned by state highway crews and members of the Oregon National Guard – has been moved west to North Bank Road.

People living on Bear Creek Road or a side road off of it will be let through at the east roadblock of Highway 18.

Emergency officials said residents returning to the area may not have had power restored should expect intermittent power outages.

Any additional questions can be forwarded to the Lincoln County Emergency Public Information Call Center at 541-265-0621 or the county’s Echo Mountain fire website.

North Lincoln fire chief says full return 4-5 days away

The head of the fire district that covers Otis and Rose Lodge said in a special YouTube statement Sunday night that it could be 4-5 days before residents are allowed back into the heart of the Echo Mountain fire.

Rob Dahlman, chief of the North Lincoln Fire & Rescue District, said the main fire is still active and that downed trees and power lines are preventing many people from returning to inspect their property.

“Our struggle right now is that it is an active fire,” Dahlman said. “We just can’t get it all done fast enough.”

Special structural assessment teams from Idaho arrived Sunday to go through the heavily damaged areas to inspect homes and outbuidlings.

Crews from the Oregon Department of Transportation are still trying to clear parts of Oregon Highway 18 of rock slides and downed trees, Dahlman said. Many guardrails have also been destroyed.

He said it is important for people – other than the newly reopened south side of the highway – to stay out of the most dangerous areas. People have been taking back roads to the north side of the Echo Mountain fire.

“When you come in you risk danger not only to yourselves but our crews, the utility crews and the Oregon Department of Forestry crews,” Dahlman said. “I’m sorry, we want to get you back in and we’re working as hard as we can.”

Dahlman and Lincoln County Sheriff Curtis Landers issued another statement Monday afternoon on the county’s YouTube channel.

 

Monday morning update from the Oregon Department of Forestry

Firefighters are working to finish the last of the fire line on the Echo Mountain fire. Once these last pieces of line are completed, both fires will be 100 percent lined.

Firefighters have been battling difficult terrain and dense fuels to complete the line. The fire remains at 2,435 acres in size, and is currently 25 percent contained.

The weather forecast for Monday calls for similar conditions to Sunday until Monday evening, when rain is expected. A chance of precipitation persists in the forecast through the end of the week.

Crews will be looking to take advantage of the incoming precipitation. While the rain is helpful, there is still a lot of work to accomplish. Once the line is completed, firefighters will begin working to open up heavy fuels to expose them to the incoming moisture.

Access to the fire area is still limited to fire personnel and support crews, such as utility repair personnel. Limiting access allows fire resources a buffer of safety to complete their difficult mission. Firefighters must still be on the lookout for falling trees, rolling debris, and other hazards specifically associated with working around structures.

Lincoln County has reduced the evacuation levels on part of the Echo Mountain Complex. Residents affected by evacuations can call the county’s call center at 541-265-0621, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days a week.

The number of personnel on the fire grew dramatically over the weekend, now with 533 people on the Echo Mountain and Kimberling fires. There are 19 hand crews, 29 engines, 12 water tenders. An estimated 100 structures have been damaged of the 4,100 structures in the fire area. Cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Sheriff’s deputies now making property checks in closed areas

Lincoln County Sheriff Curtis Landers announced Sunday that deputies will begin offering status checks on properties in areas still closed by the Echo Mountain fire complex.

Residents can phone the county’s call center,541-265-0621, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days a week. Callers will be asked to provide the following information:

• Name;
• Address (any helpful information in locating the residence (many street signs and address markers are destroyed);
• Phone number;
• Anyone missing from the location, including name, age, phone number;
• Any animals at location;

Requests can also be made by filling out this form online: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeOqMTuyaT5CqPM73MW0pwyJhuIz83wC7-tMpM8M05JINoBKQ/viewform

Landers said deputies will make checks as time permits, and there may be long delays in callbacks. Deputies will only be able to provide basic information about a structure or damage and are not capable of determining if a structure is safe to enter or is habitable.

Deputies will call the number provided and relay the status to the resident. If there is no answer, the deputies will leave a message. If the phone has no voicemail box or the deputy is otherwise unable to leave a message, no further attempts will be made.

“We understand the anxiety of not knowing the condition of your property and want to get you answers as soon as we safely can,” Landers said.

County commissioners hear updates Monday afternoon

Lincoln County commissioners held their regularly scheduled online meeting Monday afternoon and received several updates about the fires.

Sheriff Curtis Landers said one structural assessment team from Idaho arrived Sunday and two more came Monday and were now on the ground to inspect damage in the Echo Mountain fire complex. He said the first team cleared property south of Oregon Highway 18 on Sunday, which allowed the county to reopen much of that area to property owners early Monday.

There have been 300 requests for property checks since Sunday evening.

Landers said the heaviest damage seems to be in the North Panther Creek Road and Yodel Lane areas north along the Salmon River. “It’s difficult to describe in words,” he told commissioners.

He urged patience by homeowners in the worst-hit areas because of the amount of trees and utilities damaged and in need of removal and repair. It will be days before people can return to examine their property.

“There’s a lot of tree removal going on,” Landers said.

In answer to a question by Commissioner Doug Hunt, the sheriff said there was “no evidence” of looting of vacant properties or any other property destruction “except by fire.”

In other fire news:

• Some 3,000 people have signed up for the county’s emergency alerts since the two fires erupted last Wednesday, bringing the total to 14,000.
• Commissioners approved sending a letter to Oregon State Parks and Recreation asking it to open Devils Lake State Park, which has been closed all summer because of budget cuts. It has more than 400 camping sites. Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, and Sen. Arnie Roblan are also asking that the park re-open.

Lincoln County schools delayed for a week

The Lincoln County School District has delayed the start of its fall online classes for a week until Monday, Sept. 21 because of the forest fires burning in Otis and Rose Lodge.

But the district will start delivering meals by buses to all areas of the district on Monday. There will also be curbside pickup available at Crestview Heights Elementary School in Waldport, and at Taft High School, Newport Middle School and Toledo Elementary.

School in Lincoln County is online for at least through November. LCSD students and their parents were scheduled to meet alone or in small groups for “check and connect sessions” with their new teachers over a two-week period beginning Monday. Then, on Sept. 28, the district’s more comprehensive distance learning effort will officially kick off, with students expected to participate in online learning five days a week.

The district had closed all its facilities last Thursday and Friday after the fires broke out Wednesday.

Families in Lincoln County with children aged 0-18 are eligible to receive daily free breakfasts and lunches for each child delivered or picked up once a day.

The countywide service is being provided under new, short term waivers issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in cooperation with Sodexo Food Service and First Student Bus Co.

New meal delivery routes and schedules are on the published on the district website.

The service is a resumption of meal delivery the district provided when schools were forced to close in March. It provided 478,339 meals from March to early June and another 67,663 meals from June 8 to Aug. 31.

Other updates:

• The American Red Cross has moved its fire relief center from Newport to the Lincoln City Community Center.
• The city of Yachats asked residents to hold off on material donations for the time being until relief agencies organize and distribute donations from last week.

Sunday fire updates:

Fire specialists were scheduled to arrive Sunday to the Echo Mountain fire burning in Otis to begin an assessment of damage to homes and other buildings by the 2,435-acre fire.

The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Sunday morning update said much of the Echo Mountain fire has been lined – cleared of burning material and lined with hoses – and is 20 percent contained.

The Kimberling fire burning near Rose Lodge was lined Friday night and Saturday.

Firefighters will spend Sunday completing the last sections of line on the Echo Mountain fire and beginning mop up.

There are 383 firefighters and other personnel assigned to the fire, which includes men and equipment from private forest landowners.

Rain and mist are forecast to begin Sunday night, which should help firefighters. Air quality is expected to remain at very unhealthy levels throughout the region today.

The specialists are trained in structure assessment, the ODF said, and will “inventory and assess each structure that was impacted by the

fire.” Lincoln County is facilitating the assessments, the agency said.

Fire managers are asking the public to please avoid the fire area. Oregon Highway 18 remains closed to provide firefighters safe space to operate.

 

Other resources

Good, unofficial and informal places for detailed information on the Echo Mountain fires include:

A Facebook interview by Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall with Sheriff Curtis Landers

A valuable Facebook site for people affected by the Echo Mountain fire for the Otis community

A valuable Facebook site for Lincoln City area fire information