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.

Email:  swofireinfo@gmail.com

Blogspot:   http://swojic.blogspot.com

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.

Air quality can be checked at:  http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/

 

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Miles/Columbus-- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5966/

Ramsey Canyon-- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6167/

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