17 miles northeast of Klamath Falls, Oregon
Continue readingDC-10 Very Large Air Tanker photographed working out of Medford, Oregon
Air Tanker 910, a DC-10, was photographed June 30, 2021 at Medford Airport in Oregon by Tim Crippin.Tim Crippin shot these photos of Air Tanker 910, a DC-10, at Medford Airport June 30, 2021. Thanks Tim.
Air Tanker 910, a DC-10, was photographed June 30, 2021 at Medford Airport in Oregon by Tim Crippin.Bootleg Fire spreads 2 to 4 miles further east, growing to nearly 202,000 acres
20 miles east of Chiloquin, Oregon
Continue readingBootleg Fire in Oregon continues to spread east
By Sunday night it had burned more than 153,000 acres
Continue readingBootleg Fire in Southern Oregon runs 5 miles to the east
Saturday morning it was mapped at more than 79,000 acres.
Continue readingMultiple large fires in Western Idaho
And Southeast Washington
Continue readingBootleg Fire grows rapidly east of Chiloquin, OR
11 miles northwest of Beatty
Continue readingOregon Dept. of Forestry awards three-year contract for one large air tanker
An MD-87
Continue readingWildfire southeast of The Dalles, OR burns 10,000 acres
Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act Wednesday morning in response to the 10,000-acre Wrentham Market Fire that broke out in Wasco County Tuesday. The fire is seven miles east of Dufur, Oregon and 11 miles southeast of The Dalles.
The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office ordered evacuations affecting 70 to 100 residents.
The fire is on Wrentham Market Road burning wheat and brush in the Columbia Rural Fire Protection Area. About 20 residences are threatened and 1 barn was destroyed. Aviation resources used on the fire have included helicopters, as well as single engine and multi-engine air tankers.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Red Incident Management Team assumed command at 9 a.m. June 30 and will work to bring additional resources from counties around Oregon to assist in the response.
Three task forces, totaling 41 people, 12 engines, and 3 water tenders from Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill Counties, arrived Wednesday morning. The fire was reported Tuesday afternoon.
The declaration made by Gov. Brown cleared the way for the State Fire Marshal to mobilize firefighters and equipment to assist local communities battling the fire.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Kelly.
Medford tanker base receives new retardant tank
New transportable retardant base mixing tank at Medford, OR air tanker base. Photo by FORTRESS.In February the U.S. Forest Service awarded a contract to design and build a 16,000-gallon, mobile, retardant mixing tank for the air tanker base at Medford, Oregon. The agency wanted the ability to relocate the tank during the off-season and needed one large enough to refill very large air tankers (VLAT).
The tank contract specified use of carbon steel, top and side access, an integrated axle, and a top walkway with folding railings.
FORTRESS North America, the company that received the contract, delivered the tank/trailer in Medford on May 24 where it was inspected and accepted.
Justin Bohannan, Medford Airtanker Base Manager (left) receiving the VLAT Mobile Retardant Base mixing tank from Fortress Base Operations Manager Dennis Hulbert. Photo by FORTRESS.