Joint Information Center Fire Update August 19, 2018

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Information for Southwest Oregon Fires is available at the Joint Information Center (JIC) at

Phone: 541-474-5305

Hours: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Email: swofireinfo@gmail.com 

Blogspot: http://swojic.blogspot.com

Fire Summary (as reported on at 9:00 a.m. August 19)
FIRE NAME	ACRES	CONTAINMENT	PERSONNEL
TAYLOR CREEK FIRE	52,588	61%	569
KLONDIKE	68,241	15%	845
NATCHEZ	19,680	65%	721
HENDRIX	1,082	90%	64
MILES/COLUMBUS	33,204 (Miles) 9,841 (Columbus)	35%-Miles 29%-Columbus	1,487

WEATHER

A low pressure center in the upper atmosphere will set up over western Oregon today bringing some moisture and instability to the region. Lightning will be possible over a variety of areas over the next several days but does not appear as intense as the last few lightning events. General winds remain fairly light for the region. Valley temperatures in the mid-90s are forecast for the next few days.

SMOKE

With subsistence inversion, smoke will continue to be trapped in some areas in the valley. The smoke from Miles Fire and Columbus Fire is impacting Prospect, Crater Lake, Chiloquin, Klamath Falls and Tulelake. Lakeview will continue to see increased smoke from the development of the Stone fire in northern California. The Rogue Valley should expect decreased impacts from Klondike, Taylor Creek and Natchez fires today. With northwest winds forecasted, Prospect and Shady Cove will likely experience some impacts from Miles Fire this evening. Overall, air quality will range from unhealthy to moderate levels throughout today.

EVACUATIONS

More info about evacuation levels and preparedness can be found at http://www.rvem.org.

Evacuation levels in Josephine County have recently changed. 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.

Evacuation levels in Jackson County have recently changed. Please check the website. Jackson County current evacuation information is available at the Jackson County Sheriff’s website at http://jacksoncountyor.org/sheriff/News.

Evacuation levels in Douglas County have recently changed. 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.

RE-OPENING

Galice Road remains open, restoring access to local businesses and boat ramps. Crews continue to patrol the area and protect structures. Drivers should expect to see firefighters along the road and drive with caution.

All Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands along the Merlin-Galice Road remain open.

Grayback Road (Forest Highway 48) remains open to public travel. Short-term delays may occur.

CLOSURES

TAYLOR CREEK/KLONDIKE

Due to increased fire behavior and firefighting operations on the Taylor Creek Fire, Bear Camp and Peavine Roads remain closed. The risk of trees and other debris falling on these roads continues as firefighters mop up areas of the fire. https://tinyurl.com/BearCampClosure.

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. 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. Going into or being upon National Forest System lands within the Natchez Fire Closure Area is prohibited. The Closure Area begins at the intersection of Forest Road No. 48 (Grayback Road), the Klamath National Forest boundary and the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest boundary. For details of the closure order please go to the Klamath National Forest Website at www.fs.usda.gov/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.

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 bounded 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. This closure order is a combination of roads and trails which had remained closed from last year’s fire season. With continued fire suppression operations, the closures are essential to allow for public and firefighter safety. In addition, this Forest 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

Klondike Fire East: Public meeting Monday, August 20, at 6 p.m. Illinois Valley High School 625 E. River St., Cave Junction, OR.

Klondike Fire West:

• ·       Public meeting Monday, August 20, at 6 p.m. at the Agness Community Library, 3905 Cougar Lane, Agness, OR.
• 
  
•  ·       Public meeting Tuesday, August 21 at 6 p.m. in Gold Beach at the Curry County Fairgrounds in the Curry Showcase Building, 29392 Ellensburg Ave, Gold Beach, OR.

Links to Specific Incidents

Klondike-- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5998/

Natchez-- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5948/

Taylor Creek-- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6058/

Hendrix-- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5939/

Sugar Pine-- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5966/

South Umpqua-- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5940/

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.