Jones Fire
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The Jones Fire was a wildfire in the Willamette National Forest, approximately 10 miles northeast of Lowell, in
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 ...
in the
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. The fire, which was first reported on August 10, 2017, burned a total of and was started by lightning. The fire threatened the community of Lowell and distributed various activities in the park, including the start of
deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...
hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
season.


Events


August

The Jones Fire was reported on August 10, 2017, at approximately 6:51 PM, in the Willamette National Forest, 10 miles northeast of Lowell, Oregon. The fire was started 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, fueled by timber and grass. Three days later, on August 13, six campgrounds, two trails, two park areas, and 10
forest service road Forest Highways or Forest Routes are a category of roads within United States National Forests. They are built to connect the national forests to the existing state highway systems, and to provide improved access to recreational and logging area ...
s were closed. By August 16, the fire was 5% contained and the fire had burned . The fire began burning in areas of the 2003 Clark Fire, creating dangerous conditions for firefighters due to snags. Additionally, firefighters were challenged by steep terrain, poor roads, and limited accessibility to fire lines. Dozers and hand crews completed control lines in the south on August 15. That evening, a public meeting was held in Lowell regarding the fire. On August 20, five people were reported injured by the US Forest Service without explanation of their injuries. By August 21, the fire had reached and was 15% contained. The prior day, the fire had burned through Bedrock Campground, however it did not damage any of the facilities. By August 23, a third trail, four more roads, and two additional park areas were closed.


September

By September 1, the fire had grown to and was 50% contained. Crews engaged in single tree and small group torching. They controlled a 25-acre spot fire outside the containment line. Additionally, a rock slide temporary closed a fire service at the top of the fire. A red flag warning was put in place. Within a week, by September 7, the fire surpassed . The Jones Fire Camp, located in Lowell State Park, was relocated to Dexter State Recreation Site, closing the site to visitors. Despite a storm front bringing cool and wet conditions, the fire expanded to over by the morning of September 18 and two more trailheads were closed. Another fire, the Kelsey Fire, was started by a lightning strike near the Jones Fire, growing to . By the next day, more park areas and roads were closed. Heavy rains continued through mid-September, creating dangerous conditions for fire crews. The weather created slippery, impassible roads, more danger from weakened fire damaged trees, and hiking difficulties. Towards the end of the month, fire suppression began, including chipping roadside material, building waterbars, and removing hazard trees.


October

By October 6, the fire was at 91% containment and fire suppression was the full focus of fire crews. Many recreation sites, trails, and trailheads were reopened. The US Forest Service stopped reporting on the fire.


References


External links

* {{Oregon wildfires 2017 Oregon wildfires Willamette National Forest