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The Chetco Bar Fire was a
wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
in the
Kalmiopsis Wilderness Kalmiopsis Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Klamath Mountains of southwestern Oregon, within the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. It was designated wilderness by the United States Congress in 1964 and now comprises a total of .
,
Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The fire, which was caused by a
lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...
strike and first reported on July 12, 2017. It burned as of November 4, when it was declared 100% contained. The Chetco Bar Fire area is subject to warm, dry winds known as the
Brookings effect Brookings is a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It was named after John E. Brookings, president of the Brookings Lumber & Box Company, who founded the city in 1908. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,744. History Foun ...
(also known as Chetco Effect), driven by high pressure over the
Great Basin The Great Basin () is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets to the ocean, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja Californi ...
. The fire re-burned portions of the 2002
Biscuit Fire The Biscuit Fire was a massive wildfire in 2002 that burned nearly in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest, in southern Oregon and northern California, in the Western United States. The fire was named after Biscuit Creek in southern Oreg ...
and the 1987
Silver Fire The Silver Fire was a wildfire that burned in the San Jacinto Mountains south of Banning and Cabazon in Riverside County, California in August 2013. The fire, which started close to Poppet Flats Road near Highway 243, was first reported on ...
. The fire directly impacted communities surrounding it, causing mandatory evacuations.


Events

The Chetco Bar Fire was started by a lightning strike in the
Kalmiopsis Wilderness Kalmiopsis Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Klamath Mountains of southwestern Oregon, within the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest. It was designated wilderness by the United States Congress in 1964 and now comprises a total of .
near the
Chetco River The Chetco River is a stream located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Oregon. It drainage basin, drains approximately of Curry County, Oregon, Curry County. Flowing through a rugged and isolated coastal region, it descends rapi ...
. It was reported on July 12, 2017 at 1:45 PM. By July 15, it was primarily burning in the scar of the 2002
Biscuit Fire The Biscuit Fire was a massive wildfire in 2002 that burned nearly in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest, in southern Oregon and northern California, in the Western United States. The fire was named after Biscuit Creek in southern Oreg ...
and had only burned . At this time, fire crews expressed concerns about accessing the fire due to difficult and dangerous terrain. By July 20, it was determined that the fire had actually burned over . Up until this day, the crews were not using technology to gather acreage data, but estimates. As a precautionary response, the
Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior or strikes out on an independent and possibly destructive path. Rogue, rogues, or going rogue may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * ...
closed select forest service roads and trails. As of August 2, the fire had expanded to . Fears of an upcoming
heatwave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...
led to the creation of public use restrictions on fires in the area. By August 9, three additional trails were closed and on August 12, additional use restrictions were put in place regarding campfires and smoking. On August 19, the fire, in
Brookings effect Brookings is a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It was named after John E. Brookings, president of the Brookings Lumber & Box Company, who founded the city in 1908. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,744. History Foun ...
wind, had spread and the first mandatory evacuations were put in place - for the top of Gardner Ridge Road and Cate Road past Hazel Camp area, Wilson Creek area, and along the Chetco River 3 miles up the North Bank Chetco River Road from Social Security Bar to the Wilderness Retreat area. Another mandatory evacuation was put in place, on August 21, for areas between Highway 101 and Carpenterville Road, north to the Pistol River. Six days later, on August 24, the fire had burned , burning in steep and rugged terrain about five miles north of
Brookings, Oregon Brookings is a city in Curry County, Oregon, Curry County, Oregon, United States. It was named after John E. Brookings, president of the Brookings Lumber & Box Company, who founded the city in 1908. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...
. The smoke from the fire began impacting visibility along
Highway 101 Highway 101 was an American country music band founded in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. The initial lineup consisted of Paulette Carlson (lead vocals), Jack Daniels (guitar), Curtis Stone (bass guitar, vocals), and Scott "Cactus" Moser (drum ...
and creating dramatic hazes in
Gold Beach Gold, commonly known as Gold Beach, was the code name for one of the five areas of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of German military administration in occupied France during World War II, German-occupied France in the Normandy la ...
and in Brookings. By August 30, the
National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...
had joined the fire fighting efforts. Entering September, the fire continued to burn with mandatory evacuations being put in place all residents on Illinois River Road within US Forest Service Boundaries, including the Oak Flat community. As of September 10, the fire was at and was 5% contained. The fire had spread into Curry County. In Josephine County, crews began structure assessments of the communities of O'Brien, Cave Junction, and Selma. Governor
Kate Brown Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 38th governor of Oregon from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th distr ...
, US Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke, Senator
Ron Wyden Ronald Lee Wyden ( ; born May 3, 1949) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Oregon, a seat he has held since 1996 United States Senate special el ...
, Major General Michael Stencel, and House Representative
Peter DeFazio Peter Anthony DeFazio ( ; born May 27, 1947) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1987 to 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party and is a founder of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. A native of Mas ...
visited the fire camp. The fire was announced as being 100% contained on November 2.


Impact

The Checto Bar Post-Fire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team completed their evaluation of the fire's impact on October 11, 2017. The Chetco Bar Fire damaged over of land, the majority of which was US Forest Service land and private land. The fires burned of
redwood tree Sequoioideae, commonly referred to as redwoods, is a subfamily of Pinophyta, coniferous trees within the family (biology), family Cupressaceae, that range in the Northern Hemisphere, northern hemisphere. It includes the List of superlative tree ...
stands, with being 75 to 100 percent completely destroyed. BAER reported that the probability of damage and loss of soil resources is "very high and high," due to the high soil burn severity in and substantial loss of stored carbon, which serves as the long term nutrient supply for vegetation and microfauna. Geological hazards are also of concern, including rock falls, landslides,
debris flow Debris flows are geological phenomena in which water-laden masses of soil and fragmented Rock (geology), rock flow down mountainsides, funnel into stream channels, entrain objects in their paths, and form thick, muddy deposits on valley floors. ...
s, slope failures, and soil erosion. Hillslopes have lost much of their overstory, ground cover, and roughness causing a decline in water storage, which increases the likelihood of flooding. Coho salmon habitats have seen increases in debris. Regarding human risk, BAER reported concerns with roads and rivers, streams and creeks. 136 miles of roads received fire treatment, including debris removal and repairing water culverts. 18.5 miles of trails received fire treatment, primarily to assist with water drainage. Recreational sites saw signage placement for warning the public about safety concerns, tree removal, hazardous waste clean up and some properties have been closed. The highest concern recreation areas are SF Chetco, Mineral Hill Fork Creeks, Eagle Creek and Panther Creek. Cultural values were found to be at risk after the fire, with heritage sites experiencing low to high intensity effects to the surrounding vegetation. Sites impacted include the
Wheeler Ridge Japanese Bombing Site Mount Emily (Tolowa: en-may ) is a mountain in the Klamath Mountains of southwestern Oregon in the United States. It is located in southern Curry County in the extreme southwest corner of the state, near Brookings, approximately from the Pacif ...
, the Quail Prairie Mountain Lookout and a prehistoric Native American site. The Chetco Bar Fire's impacts on wildlife has been reported as "high" in the Eagle Creek area of the Chetco River. Forest wide, 26 nest patches of
northern spotted owl The northern spotted owl (''Strix occidentalis caurina'') is one of three spotted owl subspecies. A western North American bird in the family Strigidae, genus ''Strix (genus), Strix'', it is a medium-sized dark brown owl native to the Pacific N ...
s were impacted with 85 percent sustaining moderate to high burn intensities. 37 percent of suitable
marbled murrelet The marbled murrelet (''Brachyramphus marmoratus'') is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the family Alcidae, which includes auklets, guillemots, murres and puffins. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at hig ...
nesting habitat was burned at moderate to high severity. BAER reported concerns with municipal water supplies in Brookings and Harbor, primarily with intakes experiencing channel scour during high peak flow events.
Port of Brookings Harbor The Port of Brookings-Harbor is the port authority for the city of Brookings, Oregon, United States, and serving the neighboring community of Harbor. The district covers from the mouth of the Chetco River south to the Oregon-California border, n ...
experienced increased debris and sediment during winter 2017. It also impacted local viewing of the
solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, dubbed the "Great American Eclipse" by some media, was a total solar eclipse visible within a band that spanned the contiguous United States from the Pacific Ocean, Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic c ...
.


Gallery

File:Chetco Bar Fire, Progression, July 15 to August 12, 2017, Oregon.jpg, Chetco Bar Fire, Progression, July 15 to August 12, 2017 File:Chetco Bar Fire, Progression, July 15 to August 18, 2017, Oregon.jpg, Chetco Bar Fire Progression, July 15 to August 18, 2017 File:Chetco Bar Fire, 02 July 2017, Sentinel-2 true-color satellite image.tif, Before Chetco Bar Fire, 2 July 2017,
Sentinel-2 Sentinel-2 is an Earth observation mission from the Copernicus Programme that acquires optical imagery at high spatial resolution (10 m to 60 m) over land and coastal waters. The mission's Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B satellites were joined in or ...
true-color
satellite image Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell i ...
, scale 1:81,000 File:Chetco Bar Fire, 22 July 2017, Sentinel-3 true-color satellite image.tif, Chetco Bar Fire, 22 July 2017, Sentinel-2 true-color satellite image, scale 1:81,000 File:Chetco Bar Fire, 19 August 2017, MODIS Terra 721 Moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer satellite image.tif, Chetco Bar Fire in
Brookings effect Brookings is a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It was named after John E. Brookings, president of the Brookings Lumber & Box Company, who founded the city in 1908. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,744. History Foun ...
wind on August 19, 2017,
MODIS The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a satellite-based sensor used for earth and climate measurements. There are two MODIS sensors in Earth orbit: one on board the Terra (EOS AM) satellite, launched by NASA in 19 ...
Terra 721
false color False colors and pseudo colors respectively refers to a group of color rendering methods used to display images in colors which were recorded in the visible or non-visible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. A false-color image is an im ...
,
infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...
satellite image. File:Chetco Bar Fire, 19 August 2017, MODIS Terra visible Moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer satellite image.tif, Chetco Bar Fire in
Brookings effect Brookings is a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It was named after John E. Brookings, president of the Brookings Lumber & Box Company, who founded the city in 1908. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,744. History Foun ...
wind on August 19, 2017, MODIS Terra visible satellite image. File:Chetco Bar Fire, 31 August 2017, Sentinel-4 true-color satellite image.tif, Chetco Bar Fire, 31 August 2017, Sentinel-2 true-color satellite image, scale 1:81,000 File:Chetco Bar Fire, 18 October 2017, Landsat 8 OLI, bands 758.tif, Chetco Bar Fire, 18 October 2017,
Landsat 8 Landsat 8 is an American Earth observation satellite launched on 11 February 2013. It is the eighth satellite in the Landsat program and the seventh to reach orbit successfully. Originally called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM), it i ...
OLI,
false color False colors and pseudo colors respectively refers to a group of color rendering methods used to display images in colors which were recorded in the visible or non-visible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. A false-color image is an im ...
, infrared, bands 758 satellite image. File:Chetco Bar Fire, 23 October 2017, Sentinel-5 true-color satellite image.tif, Chetco Bar Fire, 23 October 2017, Sentinel-2 true-color satellite image, scale 1:81,000 File:Chetco Bar Fire, 30 October 2017, Sentinel-6 true-color satellite image.tif, After Chetco Bar Fire, 30 October 2017, Sentinel-2 true-color satellite image, scale 1:81,000 File:Chetco_Bar_Fire,_Oregoon,_07_February_2018,_Sentinel-2_True_Color_Satellite_Image.tif, Chetco Bar Fire, 7 February 2018, Sentinel-2 true-color satellite image, scale 1:31,000 File:Biscuit Fire, 23 September 2002, Landsat 5, bands 642.tif,
Biscuit Fire The Biscuit Fire was a massive wildfire in 2002 that burned nearly in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest, in southern Oregon and northern California, in the Western United States. The fire was named after Biscuit Creek in southern Oreg ...
, 23 September 2002, Landsat 5 TM, false color, infrared, bands 642, satellite image. File:Silver Fire, 30 July 1988, Landsat 5, bands 642.tif, Silver Fire, 30 July 1988, Landsat 5 TM, false color, infrared, bands 642, satellite image.


References


External links

* {{Oregon wildfires 2017 Oregon wildfires Curry County, Oregon Wildfires in Oregon