Golden Fire
LocationKlamath County, near Bonanza, Oregon
Statistics
Date(s)July 22, 2023 (2023-07-22) – present
CauseUnknown
Map

The Golden Fire is a wildfire that started on July 22, 2023, in Klamath County, Southern Oregon.[1][2] It has burned dozens of homes and caused area residents to lose 911 service and internet.[1] The fire is located 11 miles north of Bonanza, OR.[3]

History

The Golden Fire started on July 22, 2023, in southern Oregon, near the town of Bonanza.[4] The fire rapidly spread due to hot weather and gusty winds, burning dozens of homes and causing area residents to lose 911 service and internet.[4] Preliminary damage assessments from the Oregon State Fire Marshal showed that 43 residences near the town of Bonanza were destroyed, along with more than 40 outbuildings.[4]

The fire also significantly damaged a fiber optic line affecting most of the 8,200 residents in neighboring Lake County, causing a loss of 911 service, internet and phone service.[4] The Lake County Board of Commissioners declared a state of emergency on July 24 because of the outage and said an estimate for restoring the line wasn't yet known.[4]

As of the morning of July 25, the blaze had burned about 3.2 square miles (2,000 acres) (8.3 square kilometers) and was 9% contained.[4] The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Klamath County Sheriff's office. According to initial information, the blaze may have started on private property being used to grow marijuana illegally.[4]

Cause

The cause of the fire is still undetermined.[3]

Impact

As of July 25, 2023, the fire had destroyed 43 residences and 43 outbuildings according to initial assessments from the Oregon State Fire Marshal.[2][5] The number of damaged buildings is expected to change as task forces continue to work.[5]

The fire remained at 2,052 acres with 0% containment as of July 24, 2023.[5] On Sunday, FEMA Region 10 approved Oregon's first Fire Management Assistance Grant of 2023 to fight the Golden Fire. According to FEMA, the request allows federal funds to pay for 75% of the state's eligible firefighting costs. It was authorized because the fire threatened to constitute a major disaster.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Golden Fire in southern Oregon burns dozens of homes and cuts 911 service". AP News. 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  2. 1 2 "43 homes destroyed in Golden Fire, fire officials say". kgw.com. July 25, 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  3. 1 2 "Golden Fire". InciWeb. 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Golden Fire in southern Oregon burns dozens of homes and cuts 911 service". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Neumann, Erik (2023-07-25). "Golden Fire destroys 43 homes in Klamath County, according to initial assessments". Jefferson Public Radio. Retrieved 2023-07-26.


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