Joint Information Center Fire Update August 20, 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 20)
FIRE NAME	ACRES	CONTAINMENT	PERSONNEL
TAYLOR CREEK FIRE	52,588	79%	563
KLONDIKE	72,074	28%	951
NATCHEZ	20,085	70%	721
HENDRIX	1,082	90%	3
MILES COLUMBUS	33,204 9,861	38% 35%	1487 COMBINED

WEATHER

Winds remain fairly light for the region. Valley temperatures in the mid-90s are forecast for the next few days with overnight lows in the 60’s. Air quality will be poor at times as smoke from wildfires settles in some areas. The forecast does not contain significant chances for moisture in the near future.

SMOKE

Northeast winds will push smoke towards Southwest Oregon coastal communities. Additional smoke from fires in British Columbia may also be drawn into the Rogue Valley area leading to a generally hazy day on Monday. Expect decreasing air quality and visibility Tuesday. The amount of clearing or smoke impact will vary depending on local winds and topography.

EVACUATIONS

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

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.

RE-OPENING

Bear Camp Road and Peavine Road reopened on Sunday, August 19. Fire personnel and equipment will remain in the area, please drive with caution.

Galice Road remains open, restoring access to local businesses and boat ramps. Crews continue to patrol the area. Firefighters and equipment will remain in the area, please 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.

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.