CHEMULT, OR, April 29, 2024 — The Little Yamsay Fire was detected at approximately 6 PM on April 20, 2024, a holdover fire from lightning on April 13. It is currently 35 acres with resources on scene using a modified confine/contain strategy. Located on the Chemult Ranger District within a footprint already planned for prescribed fire treatment, this fire offers a strategic advantage to return natural fire to a fire adapted landscape.
The Little Yamsay Fire is burning approximately 15 miles southeast of Chemult, Oregon, south of the Silver Lake Highway and east of Highway 97. Fire suppression resources are currently on the ground preparing containment lines to allow fire to renew the forest landscape on up to 6,000 acres of restoration project area.
The South-Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership (SCOFMP) Type 3 team is expected to take command of the incident on the morning of April 30. Further updates on the Little Yamsay Fire will come from the SCOFMP Facebook page, located at https://www.facebook.com/SCOFMPFIREINFO.
Fire managers can use natural ignitions such as lightning to mimic natural fire in the right conditions. The abundance of green grass this spring and moisture opens this window of opportunity to reduce the buildup of surface fuels and minimize future catastrophic fires.
The Little Yamsay Fire lies within the Klamath River Basin Project area. The Klamath River Basin was identified as one of 21 high risk landscapes to receive increased funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment Act and the Inflation Reduction Act in January 2023. This landscape encompasses the entire Klamath River watershed across both California and Oregon, shared by five national forests including the Fremont-Winema. In January 2022, the Forest Service launched the Wildfire Crisis Strategy in coordination with states, Tribes and other partners to address wildfire risks to critical infrastructure, protect communities, and make forests more resilient.
Learn more about Klamath River Basin projects.
Learn more about the National Wildfire Crisis Strategy.
