OREGON
SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — A5
Bootleg fire spawned tornado, expert says
■ The fire fueled a tornado on July 18, a day of extreme fire behavior at the blaze that has burned more than 413,000 acres
By Joe Siess
(Klamath Falls) Herald and News
On July 18, the Bootleg Fire
generated what appeared to be a
fl aming tornado, sweeping skyward
from the trees and into the towering
thunderheads above.
Offi cials confi rmed Monday, July
26, that it was an actual tornado,
fueled by the fi re itself.
According to Bruno Rodriguez,
an incident meteorologist assigned
to the Bootleg, the phenomenon
occurred on the southeast side of
the blaze on a day of extreme fi re
behavior. Rodriguez said that day
the fi re generated pyrocumulus or
pyrocumulonimbus clouds that rose
higher than 30,000 feet into the
stratosphere — roughly the altitude
where most commercial airplanes
fl y.
Those massive clouds, in combi-
nation with intense heat generated
by the fi re on the ground, intensifi ed
an updraft, according to Rodriguez.
That in turn pulled and rotated air
up from the surface to the base of
the fi re-produced clouds — creating
a literal tornado.
The Bootleg tornado was far
beyond the more common fi re whirl
phenomenon, Rodriguez said.
Fire whirls are smaller, surface-
based vortices. But Rodriguez said
the Bootleg tornado and others
like it “are essentially the same as
a regular tornado” — but with the
added element of fi re.
The tornado is not actually made
of fi re, Rodriguez clarifi ed, but
fl ames from the trees and other
vegetation swirls around in wind
VACCINE
weaken very quickly,” he said.
Sandler added that the reason
the NWS did not issue a tornado
warning is because the fi re tornado
is essentially chained to the heat
from the fi re and the cumulus
clouds above.
Neil Lareau, a professor of atmo-
spheric science at the University
of Nevada, said he speculates the
Bootleg tornado’s strength to be
akin to an EF2-type tornado. EF2
tornadoes are characterized by wind
speeds between 111 and 135 miles
per hour. Evidence on the ground,
such as extensive tree damage and
scouring of road surface and soil, are
indicative of winds of that magni-
tude.
Richard Parrish/Contributed Photo
“Prior to last year, there had only
The Bootleg fi re burning on July 23, 2021. The fi re, started by light-
been two well-documented tornado
ning in early July, has burned about 413,000 acres.
strength vortices generated by
fi res,” Lareau said. “A decade ago,
rently
unsure
how
to
categorize
it.
we could not have even imagined
“Prior to last year, there had
While a traditional tornado often this. But here we are.”
only been two well-documented travels for many miles and can also Lareau, who is currently working
be miles wide, a fi re tornado relies
on a National Science Foundation
tornado-strength vortices
on
the
updraft
created
by
the
fi
re
funded project focused on fi re-
generated by fi res. A decade
and the cumulus clouds above to
generated tornadoes, said studying
ago, we could not have even
form and draw energy, Sandler said. these kinds of events is increasing
imagined this. But here we are.” Given those constraints, a typical in importance.
fi re tornado can only travel a few
The project, Lareau said, was mo-
— Neil Lareau, professor
miles
at
most,
and
is
therefore
not
tivated
by confi rmed fi re tornadoes
of atmospheric science,
a
threat
to
human
life
if
it
occurs
amid
the
massive wildfi res of 2020.
University of Nevada
in a relatively remote area like the
“But every time a new tornado
Fremont-Winema National Forest. happens, we will work to under-
generated by the tornado.
Once the fi re tornado gets too
stand the physics of what is going
Ryan Sandler, a meteorologist
far away from the heat of the fi re
on, and build up a case library to
at the National Weather Service
it starts to lose force and its shape, identify when a fi re is getting close
in Medford, explained that while
Sandler said.
to producing these sorts of things,”
the fi re tornado generated by the
“If they don’t have the heat from he said.
Bootleg Fire is in fact, a tornado, the the fi re, then they don’t have the up-
The study of fi re tornadoes is
National Weather Service is cur-
draft. Without the updraft, it would “really a frontier of science,” Lareau
top education agency. “Any
update would come only after
Continued from Page A3
thorough review and consul-
“The Oregon Department
tation.”
of Education, Oregon Health
Under current guidelines
Authority and Governor’s
from the state’s department of
offi ce are reviewing the CDC’s education, individual districts
guidance,” said Marc Siegel,
can decide whether to require
a spokesperson for state’s
students, staff and faculty
to wear masks inside school
buildings.
In addition, on Tuesday
the Oregon Health Author-
ity followed suit with CDC in
urging people to wear masks
in indoor public spaces, but
stopped short of reinstating an
indoor mask mandate.
“Because life-saving vac-
cines are safe, effective, and
widely available — and be-
cause so many Oregonians are
protected — we have reached
the point in the pandemic
where unprecedented, blanket
statewide measures are no
longer the most effective or
said, and the objective of his re-
search is to understand which fi res
will produce tornadoes and when,
and to identify the signals of when
one of these events will happen.
That information is important to
helping stop the spread of these ma-
jor wildfi res, and giving fi re crews
as much information as possible
in order to stay safe and protect
nearby communities.
David Blunck, associate professor
of mechanical engineering at Or-
egon State University, said although
there hasn’t been much research
on the topic, he absolutely suspects
that fi re-produced tornadoes can
create larger embers and send them
sailing much farther distances
through the air — possibly starting
new fi res.
The wind that sends embers
sailing through the sky can either
be from the atmosphere or pro-
duced by the fi re itself — as has
been witnessed with the Bootleg.
Lareau said that climate change is
absolutely a factor for the increase
in fi re tornadoes, and is essentially
the “backdrop,” or “the changing
baseline in which these (events) are
embedded,” he said.
Hotter, drier conditions, and a
prolonged fi re season goes hand in
hand with the larger, more intense
wildfi res and extreme fi re behavior
becoming more and more common,
Lareau added.
“By and large it is a rare phe-
nomenon,” Rodriguez said. “It is
observed on a semi-regular basis by
now on those extremely large fi res
we get.”
effi cient defense against the
spread of COVID-19, which is
now concentrated in com-
munities with low vaccina-
tion rates and high vaccine
hesitancy,” Boyle said.
Instead state offi cials say
that they believe targeted
efforts or local coronavirus-
related safety measures would
be more benefi cial to address
high-infection rates in coun-
ties.
“Such measures at the local
level are more likely to be ef-
fective in reaching unvaccinat-
ed Oregonians than state-level
mandates,” Boyle said.
Former lawmaker pleads guilty to misconduct
for letting rioters into Oregon Capitol last year
Extra jobless benefits
to expire in September
During his arraignment in
May, several dozen supporters
gathered at the courthouse
with signs. During the House
of Representatives expulsion
vote, another crowd came to
his defense outside the Capitol,
with chants of “let us in” and
banging on an exterior door.
He later received the most
votes from precinct committee
people in House District 23
during a nominating conven-
tion held by the Oregon Repub-
Salem Statesman Journal lican Party to fi nd an appoint-
Former Oregon State Representative Mike Nearman,
ment for the then-vacant seat.
far right, pleads guilty to offi cial misconduct in the fi rst
A handful of supporters
degree on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at the Marion County
came to the meeting where
Circuit Court in Salem.
they appointed his former
legislative aide Anna Scharf
were injured and the building in state history.
to that seat, and quietly
incurred thousands of dollars
Video evidence shows Near- expressed their frustration
in damages.
man exiting the Capitol at
afterward with the county
“I don’t support what they
8:29 a.m. on Dec. 21 from the commissioners’ decision.
did when they entered,” Near- vestibule entrance on the west
House District 23 stretches
man added.
side.
from outside McMinnville to
Neither Nearman nor his
At the time, only one
near Harrisburg and includes
attorney Jason Short spoke to demonstrator was standing
the communities of Dallas,
reporters after the hearing.
near the door. When Nearman Amity and Dayton.
House Republican Leader
exited, he stepped around the
Christine Drazan, R-Canby,
demonstrator and the man
declined to comment on the
rushed in. A second quickly
court proceeding through her followed, and they both waved
spokesman.
for others to join them while
Senate President Peter
holding the outside door open.
Courtney, D-Salem, did not
Three more did so before
comment on the sentencing
police offi cers arrived and
itself, choosing instead to look shoved them back outside. But
forward.
by then the door was being
“This is behind us now. I’m held open from the outside and
grateful. And it comes at a
the four offi cers were not able
time when our Capitol is open. to close it.
People are coming back,” he
Police eventually needed to
said. “There is a normalcy here pull back due to a protester
that makes me feel good.”
spraying a chemical irritant.
The building was re-opened
Ultimately at least 50
to the public on July 12.
people accessed the Capitol’s
House Speaker Tina Kotek, vestibule.
D-Portland, did not immedi-
When the videos became
ately respond to a request for public, Democrats began
comment.
calling for his resignation or
Nearman was expelled
expulsion. Nearman had the
from the Oregon House of
support of Republicans until
Representatives on June 10
another video came to light
by a vote of 59-1, with the
that appeared to show him
only vote against coming from suggesting to a group days
Nearman himself. He was the before the riot that if demon-
fi rst sitting lawmaker expelled strators texted him he might
from the Oregon Legislature
let them in.
PORTLAND (AP) — Oregonians could lose more
than $70 million in weekly employment benefi ts after
Labor Day, when some federal pandemic aid programs
expire and the state stops paying a $300 weekly unem-
ployment bonus.
David Gerstenfeld, acting director of the Oregon Em-
ployment Department, called it a “sobering” moment
Wednesday, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. He
warned that more than 115,000 Oregonians are receiv-
ing assistance under temporary programs that date to
the fi rst COVID-19 relief act from March 2020.
Oregon has paid more than $10 billion in jobless
aid since the start of the pandemic, most of it federal
money provided through a succession of pandemic re-
lief bills. The major programs include the $300 weekly
bonus, a benefi ts extension program called Pandemic
Emergency Unemployment Compensation, and a new
program for self-employed workers called Pandemic
Unemployment Assistance.
Those programs expire the week ending Sept. 4.
The number of Oregonians collecting benefi ts each
week has been declining for several months and begin-
ning this week, workers must demonstrate they are
searching for new jobs to continue receiving aid.
But Oregon’s jobless rate remains elevated at 5.6%.
The state has now reopened nearly all of its Work-
Source job search assistance offi ces. Gerstenfeld also
noted that employers are hiring at a nearly unprec-
edented rate.
By Connor Radnovich
Salem Statesman Journal
Former state representative
Mike Nearman pleaded guilty
Tuesday, July 27 to one count
of offi cial misconduct in the
fi rst degree for letting rioters
into the closed Oregon Capitol
building during a special legis-
lative session on Dec. 21, 2020.
As a result of the negotiated
plea agreement, Nearman was
sentenced to 18 months proba-
tion, during which he will need
to complete 80 hours of com-
munity service and is banned
from the Capitol building and
grounds.
He also will pay $200
in court fees and $2,700 to
Oregon Legislative Adminis-
tration for damages done to
the Capitol during the Dec.
21 riot. The count of criminal
trespass in the second degree
was dismissed.
“There aren’t a lot of condi-
tions on this,” Marion County
Circuit Court Judge Cheryl
Pellegrini said.
The maximum penalty for
this misdemeanor is one year
in jail, a $6,250 fi ne or both.
Nearman was soft-spoken
while answering Pellegrini’s
questions before sentencing.
He admitted letting protest-
ers into the Capitol, but said
he didn’t intend to cause
harm. Nearman said he did so
because he believed they had
a right to be in the building
and so he would appear to
be supportive of those people
and they would look upon him
favorably.
“I think that the citizens
were allowed to be in the Capi-
tol, so I was letting them in,”
Nearman told the judge.
Nearman’s actions allowed
dozens of rioters — some
armed and wearing body
armor — to gain access to the
Capitol, which was closed to
the public due to the coronavi-
rus pandemic. In the ensuing
scuffl e with Salem and Oregon
State police offi cers, six offi cers