Joint Information Center Fire Update August 7, 2018

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Information for Southwest Oregon Fires is available at the Joint Information Center (JIC) at 541-474-5305 7 AM – 9 PM.

Email:  swofireinfo@gmail.com; 

Blogspot:   http://swojic.blogspot.com

Fire Summary (as reported on at 9:00 a.m. August 7)
FIRE NAME	ACRES	CONTAINMENT	PERSONNEL
TAYLOR CREEK FIRE	41,103	38%	1,520
GARNER COMPLEX	8,886 (Combined total for all fires)	85%	735
KLONDIKE	30,873	15%	444
NATCHEZ	10,859	40%	775
HENDRIX	1,082	70%	224
MILES/COLUMBUS/SNOW SHOE/ROUND TOP	39,024 (Combined total for all fires)	N/A	1,799

WEATHER

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory from Wednesday at 11 am through 9 pm Thursday as unseasonably hot conditions return to inland areas Wednesday and Thursday. High temperatures in Southwest Oregon over the next two days could reach triple digit highs with warm overnight lows for inland west side valleys. An upper level trough should approach on Friday and lead to an increase in winds with temperatures remaining above normal with low humidities.

SMOKE
Generally West/Northwest winds throughout the day today. Areas south of fires can expect moderate to unhealthy conditions. Light winds have contributed to the residual smoke lingering in the area. A combination of this residual smoke and daily smoke production have led to poor air quality conditions. Smoke will be heavy in many areas and again reach Unhealthy levels. Smoky conditions are likely to continue through the week until stronger winds arrive to push it out of the valleys.

For relief from smoke, travel to the Oregon Coast, or north into the Roseburg area.

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/#.

Per the Natchez Fire Incident Management Team, the community of Sunstar, California has been placed in a Level 1 evacuation “Ready” status. Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office has issued an evacuation order for two residences near the terminus of South Fork Road (Rd 17N32) and an evacuation warning for all residences accessed by the South Fork Road (Rd 17N32) and all residences accessed by the Grayback road north of the junction of South Fork Road (Rd 17N32) and Grayback road.

Information about fire evacuation levels is also available from the Joint Information Center at 541-474-5305.

CLOSURES

GARNER COMPLEX

NONE

TAYLOR CREEK

Due to increased fire behavior and firefighting operations on the Taylor Creek Fire, Bear Camp Road is closed 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.

There is a BLM closure order for lands and recreation areas along portions of the Rogue River. The order does not affect river operations, however access to the river is limited in the closed area. Information is available from https:/tinyurl.com/TaylorFireClosure.

The Oregon State Marine Board filed a temporary rule to close boating effective immediately on the Rogue River from Hog Creek to Galice due to the Taylor Creek Fire: https://www.oregon.gov/osmb/Pages/Rogue-River-Temporary-Closure.aspx.

KLONDIKE

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

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 has been updated but a closure remains in effect. Detailed information and a map of the area closure are available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-siskiyou.

MILES/COLUMBUS/SNOW SHOE/ROUND TOP

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.

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/

Garner Complex-- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5935/

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

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

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

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Hendrix Fire: There will be two Hendrix Fire Community Meetings next week. The first one will be held at 7 pm on Wednesday, August 8, at Ashland Middle School, 100 Walker Avenue, Ashland, Oregon. The second meeting will start at 7 pm on Friday, August, 10, at the Hendrix Fire Incident Command Post located at the intersection of Highway 238 and Hamilton Road in Ruch, Oregon. This meeting will be followed by a tour of the fire camp.

MILES/COLUMBUS/SNOW SHOE/ROUND TOP: The IMTs have three upcoming community meetings:

• ·       Wednesday, August 8: Tiller Rural Fire Protection District, 27598 Tiller Trail Highway, Tiller 6:30 pm.
• ·       Thursday, August 9: Upper Rogue Community Center 22465 Highway 62, Shady Cove 6:30 pm.
• ·       Friday, August 10: Prospect Community Center, 305 Red Blanket Road, Prospect 6:30 pm.

The Red Cross has established a shelter at the Grants Pass High School for displaced residents affected by Level 3 (Go!) evacuations. Additionally, an animal evacuation center has been set up at the Josephine County Fairgrounds organized by the Friends of the Shelter and Southern Oregon Emergency Aid.

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.