For a downloadable PDF, click here
Friday, August 31, 2018
New Fire Start near Grants Pass
At approximately 3:15 pm a new fire start was reported near MP 54 off of I-5 NB
Ground resources are flanking both sides of the fire while aerial resources continue to attack the head of the fire in order to slow the rate of growth.
One lane of I-5 NB is closed to traffic beginning at MP 53 and continuing to just before MP 55.
Three helicopters are currently conducting bucket work, while four air tankers are dropping retardant ahead of the fire. Roughly 100 firefighters are continuing to work on control lines and protect homes surrounding the outer perimeter.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
For the most up to date information please see the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon District (@ODFSouthwest)
Phones are Back at Southwest Oregon Fire Information Center
UPDATE, the phones at the Southwest Oregon Fire Information Center (Merlin, OR) are back up and operational again. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Phones Down at Southwest Oregon Fire Information Center
At approximately 3:07 pm the Southwest Oregon Fire Information Center (Merlin, OR) experienced a loss of power. Phones are down, we will update the blog when the phones are operational again.
For a downloadable PDF, click here.
Information for Southwest Oregon Fires is available at the Joint
Information Center (JIC) at 541-474-5305 7 AM – 8 PM.
|
Fire Summary (as reported on at 9:00 a.m. August 31)
|
|||
|
FIRE NAME
|
ACRES
|
CONTAINMENT
|
PERSONNEL
|
|
TAYLOR CREEK FIRE
|
52,839
|
95%
|
126
|
|
KLONDIKE
|
102,168
|
40%
|
1,254
|
|
NATCHEZ
|
26,702
|
70%
|
419
|
|
MILES
COLUMBUS
|
35,770
10,226
|
56%
56%
|
252
Combined
|
|
RAMSEY CANYON
|
1,971
|
95%
|
132
|
WEATHER
A weak cool front will move
across the area on Thursday bringing slightly increased winds in the late
afternoon and early evening. Temperatures will be slightly below normal for
this time of year. Meteorologists are predicting temperatures in the 80’s
through Sunday, with winds from the north and northwest close to 15 mph. Relative humidity will be higher than the
previous few days.
SMOKE
Smoky conditions will persist downwind of the fires and will be pushed inland with the persisting northwest winds. Until seasonal rains arrive, stumps, logs and other ground fuels will continue to produce visible smokes on the interior of all of the fires. Gusty winds with the passing of the cold front will also provide potential for increased fire behavior and smoke due to gusty winds. Air quality can be checked at: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/
Smoky conditions will persist downwind of the fires and will be pushed inland with the persisting northwest winds. Until seasonal rains arrive, stumps, logs and other ground fuels will continue to produce visible smokes on the interior of all of the fires. Gusty winds with the passing of the cold front will also provide potential for increased fire behavior and smoke due to gusty winds. Air quality can be checked at: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!
There are many area and road closures because of
past and present fire activity, see the links below for further information. Fire
restrictions are in place. Contact or visit specific land management agencies
for the most up to date restrictions.
EVACUATIONS
Josephine County current evacuation information
is available at the Josephine County Sheriff’s website at http://www.co.josephine.or.us/News.asp?SectionID=180.
Jackson County current evacuation information is
available at the Jackson County Sheriff’s website at http://jacksoncountyor.org/sheriff/News.
Douglas County current evacuation information is
available at the Douglas County Sheriff’s website at http://www.dcso.com/#.
Information about fire evacuation
levels is also available from the Joint Information Center at 541-474-5305.
Evacuees seeking assistance can
contact the American Red Cross at (888) 680-1455.
CLOSURES
TAYLOR CREEK/KLONDIKE FIRE
The Rogue River-Siskiyou NF
Taylor Creek Fire Emergency Area Closure Order 06-10-22-18-62 closes national
forest lands near the Taylor Creek Fire for public health and safety. This
closure is in effect July 19, 2018 through October 31, 2018, unless sooner
rescinded. Detailed information and a map of the area closure are available at https://tinyurl.com/RRSiskiyou.
A temporary forest closure
order is in effect for the area around the Klondike Fire. Forest Roads 4103,
4105, 2512, and 2402-676 remain closed. A temporary road closure order
06-10-22-18-73 is also in place for Bear Creek Road between Agness and Galice. Information
on current conditions can be found at the Rogue River National Forest website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/rogue-siskiyou/alerts-notices.
NATCHEZ FIRE
Closure orders are in effect on Klamath National
Forest and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest within the vicinity of the
Natchez Fire. A closure order was issued August 5th, effective until the
Natchez Fire is declared out. For details of the closure order please go to the
Klamath
HENDRIX FIRE
The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Hendrix
Fire Area Closure for the southern portion of the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger
District remains in effect. Detailed information and a map of the area closure
are available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-siskiyou.
KLAMATHON FIRE
An area closure remains in effect for BLM lands
southeast of Ashland, Oregon including a portion of the Soda Mountain
Wilderness https://tinyurl.com/KlamathonClosure. The Pacific Crest Trail is open in the Soda Mountain Wilderness
and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, while the Lone Pilot Trail remains
closed. A map of the closure is available at http://tinyurl.com/KlamathonClosureMap.
MILES AND COLUMBUS FIRE
An Emergency Road and Area Fire
Closure has been issued by the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. All
portions of the Forest west of Forest Roads 68 near the northern boundary and
all of 6640 are closed. This area is bordered on the south by BLM and private
land, to the north and west by the Umpqua National Forest and to the east by
open portions of the Rogue River- Siskiyou National Forest.
The Umpqua National Forest has
implemented emergency road and trail closures on the Tiller Ranger District
because of the South Umpqua Complex. The order includes previous closures on
the Diamond Lake Ranger District and North Umpqua Ranger District to create a
current and comprehensive list. More
information is available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices.
PUBLIC
MEETINGS
No public meetings scheduled at this
time
LINKS TO SPECIFIC INCIDENTS
When you want to help….
In a time of crisis
people naturally want to reach out and help. We appreciate those efforts
and have a few suggestions for you to consider.
Most appreciated by
firefighters:
- Thank you notes and banners
- Donation information: http://www.roguevalley.recovers.org
- Donations to
Wildland Firefighter Foundation: http://www.wffoundation.org
Other ideas:
- Join or support your local fire department or emergency
organizations- they appreciate your generosity since they are the first
responders in many cases.
- Donate to local charitable organizations like the Red
Cross.
- Donate to local food banks, which sometimes get
forgotten when fires impact a community.
- Create and
maintain a defensible space around your home! Give emergency
responders and yourself a safe area to defend your home in or retreat to,
if necessary.
Note: Fire camps cannot
accept food items due to health and federal contract regulations. We feed
our assigned fire crews three meals a day plus snacks.
Ramsey Canyon Fire, August 31, 2018 - Update (morning)
This will be the last update for the Ramsey Canyon Fire unless conditions change.
For a downloadable, printable version of the incident update, click here
Inquiries can be directed to ODF Southwest Oregon Districts Facebook Page
Thursday, August 30, 2018
August 30 Spanish version of JIC daily update is now available on En Espanol tab
Click here to be directed to the En Espanol page.
Joint Information Center Fire Update August 30, 2018
Click HERE for PDF of Aug 30 JIC update
Information for Southwest Oregon Fires is available at the Joint
Information Center (JIC) at 541-474-5305 7 AM – 8 PM.
Fire Summary (as reported on at 9:00 a.m. August 30)
|
|||
FIRE NAME
|
ACRES
|
CONTAINMENT
|
PERSONNEL
|
TAYLOR CREEK FIRE
|
52,839
|
95%
|
126
|
KLONDIKE
|
100,996
|
40%
|
1,214
|
NATCHEZ
|
26,702
|
70%
|
423
|
MILES
COLUMBUS
|
35,770
10,226
|
53%
54%
|
274
Combined
|
RAMSEY CANYON
|
1,971
|
85%
|
651
|
WEATHER
There will be slightly
increased winds in the late afternoon and early evening today from a week cold
front moving into the area. Temperatures will be high 70’s to low 80’s in the
fire areas with relative humidity slightly higher than the last couple
days. Winds are expected to be
upslope/upvalley in the morning and will slightly increase from the northwest
in the afternoon.
SMOKE
Smokey conditions will persist down wind of the fires and will be pushed inland with the persisting northwest winds. Until seasonal rains arrive, stumps, logs and other ground fuels will continue to produce visible smokes on the interior of all of the fires. Gusty winds with the passing of the cold front will also provide potential for increased fire behavior and smoke due to gusty winds.
Smokey conditions will persist down wind of the fires and will be pushed inland with the persisting northwest winds. Until seasonal rains arrive, stumps, logs and other ground fuels will continue to produce visible smokes on the interior of all of the fires. Gusty winds with the passing of the cold front will also provide potential for increased fire behavior and smoke due to gusty winds.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!
There are many area and road closures due to
past and present fire activity, see the links below for further information.
Fire restrictions are in place, contact or visit specific land management
agencies for the most up to date restrictions.
EVACUATIONS
Josephine County current evacuation information
is available at the Josephine County Sheriff’s website at http://www.co.josephine.or.us/News.asp?SectionID=180.
Jackson County current evacuation information is
available at the Jackson County Sheriff’s website at http://jacksoncountyor.org/sheriff/News.
Douglas County current evacuation information is
available at the Douglas County Sheriff’s website at http://www.dcso.com/#.
Information about fire
evacuation levels is also available from the Joint Information Center at 541-474-5305.
Evacuees seeking assistance can
contact the American Red Cross at (888) 680-1455.
CLOSURES
TAYLOR CREEK/KLONDIKE
The Rogue River-Siskiyou NF Taylor
Creek Fire Emergency Area Closure Order 06-10-22-18-62 closes national forest
lands near the Taylor Creek Fire for public health and safety. Effective July
19, 2018 through October 31, 2018, unless sooner rescinded. Detailed
information and a map of the area closure are available at https://tinyurl.com/RRSiskiyou.
A temporary forest closure
order is in effect for the area around the Klondike Fire. Forest Roads 4103,
4105, 2512, and 2402-676 remain closed. A temporary road closure order
06-10-22-18-73 is also in place for Bear Creek Road between Agness and Galice.
Information on current conditions can be found at the Rogue River National
Forest website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/rogue-siskiyou/alerts-notices.
NATCHEZ
Closure orders are in effect on Klamath National
Forest and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest within the vicinity of the
Natchez Fire. A closure order was issued August 5th, effective until the
Natchez Fire is declared out. For details of the closure order please go to the
Klamath
HENDRIX
The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Hendrix
Fire Area Closure for the southern portion of the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger
District remains in effect. Detailed information and a map of the area closure
are available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-siskiyou.
KLAMATHON
An area closure remains in effect for BLM lands
southeast of Ashland, Oregon including a portion of the Soda Mountain
Wilderness https://tinyurl.com/KlamathonClosure. The Pacific Crest Trail is open in the Soda Mountain Wilderness
and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, while the Lone Pilot Trail remains
closed. A map of the closure is available at http://tinyurl.com/KlamathonClosureMap.
MILES AND COLUMBUS
An Emergency Road and Area Fire
Closure has been issued by the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. All
portions of the Forest west of Forest Roads 68 near the northern boundary and
all of 6640 are closed. This area is boarded on the south by BLM and private
land, to the north and west by the Umpqua National Forest and to the east by
open portions of the Rogue River- Siskiyou National Forest.
The Umpqua National Forest has
implemented emergency road and trail closures on the Tiller Ranger District
because of the South Umpqua Complex. The order includes previous closures on
the Diamond Lake Ranger District and North Umpqua Ranger District to create a
current and comprehensive list. More
information is available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices.
PUBLIC
MEETINGS
NATCHEZ
- Thursday, August 30, 2018 at 6:00pm
- Happy Camp
Grange, 64501 2nd St, Happy Camp, CA
KLONDIKE
- · Thursday, August 30, 2018 at 5:00pm
- · Agness Community Library, 3905 Cougar Ln, OR
LINKS TO SPECIFIC INCIDENTS
When you want to help….
In a time of crisis
people naturally want to reach out and help. We appreciate those efforts
and have a few suggestions for you to consider.
Most appreciated by
firefighters:
- Thank you notes and banners
- Donation information: http://www.roguevalley.recovers.org
- Donations to Wildland Firefighter Foundation: http://www.wffoundation.org
Other ideas:
- Join or support your local fire department or emergency
organizations- they appreciate your generosity since they are the first
responders in many cases.
- Donate to local charitable organizations like the Red
Cross.
- Donate to local food banks, which sometimes get
forgotten when fires impact a community.
- Create and
maintain a defensible space around your home! Give emergency
responders and yourself a safe area to defend your home in or retreat to,
if necessary.
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