KWSO News for Fri., Sep. 18, 2020

Management of the Lionshead Fire was transferred from the pacific Northwest Team 3 to Rocky Mountain Team 1 last night as firefighters continue to make progress.   Rocky Mountain Team 1 is comprised of folks from local, state, and federal agencies, most of whom reside in the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Last night – Public Information Officer Amy Linn offered this update on the Lionshead Fire.

“Good evening, this is Amy Linn, Public Information Officer for the Lionshead Fire, with an evening update for Thursday, September 17, 2020.   The fire’s acreage is now at about 189,000 and 10% containment.   Fire crews are making good progress securing fire line on the Reservation. Today fire crews continued to work on structure protection in the Sidwalter area, and scouted for options to bring containment line east towards the Mt. Hood National Forest. Some rain is expected overnight and into tomorrow, which should also help firefighting efforts. Today evacuation levels were dropped in Sidwalter from a Level 2 Notice to a Level 1. The area along Highway 26 that was under Level 1 is no longer under an evacuation notice.  Today, Pacific Northwest Team 3 transferred command of the fire to Rocky Mountain Team 1.  More than 1.5 million acres have been impacted by fire in Oregon and Washington this fire season. Because of the scale of this situation, full perimeter containment or control will take some time and assistance from seasonal weather.  This has been your evening update for the Lionshead Fire for September 16, 2020. “  

Warm Springs Tribal Offices will be open and on regular schedule today.  Warm Springs ECE will remain closed.  The Warm Springs IHS clinic is also operating as usual today 8:30 until noon and 1 to 4.   Smoke levels are still high but not as high as yesterday.  The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality does have an Air Quality Advisory in effect until 11 tomorrow morning.  Dr. Tom Creelman from Warm Springs IHS offers this advice for coping with the smoke…

“It’s best to stay away from this smoke as much as you can. That means staying inside away from open doors or windows that would let any smoke in.  Stay quiet, stay calm and don’t overdo it with the smoke around.  There are symptoms you can develop from this smoke.  It’s mostly an irritation to your eyes, nose and breathing.  It’s not going to produce symptoms that you get from infection, like fever.  If you are having trouble breathing comfortably you can move to a different location or get assistance.”

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person or people responsible for an arson fire that killed one person and injured two others.  Investigators with the Warm Springs Fire Department, the Jefferson County Fire Department, and the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office ruled the May 17, 2020 fire at 1713 Foster Street, an arson. The FBI and Warm Springs Police Department are jointly investigating this case.  Anyone with information concerning this fire is asked to contact the FBI in Bend at (541) 389-1202 during normal business hours, the FBI in Portland at (503) 224-4181 twenty-four hours a day, or the Warm Springs Police Department at (541) 553-3272. Information may also be submitted online at https://tips.fbi.gov