Friday, August 18, 2017

8/18/2017 Umpqua North Complex Update

Umpqua North Complex Update 
Fire Information Line (541) 378-6944                                               UmpquaNorthComplex17@gmail.com 
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Recorded Information: (855) 419-2349

Incident: During the week of August 9th, lightning started dozens of fires across the northern Umpqua National Forest along both sides of State Route 138 east of Roseburg in Douglas County, Oregon.

Incident Command:  Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team; Tom Kurth, Incident Commander

Current Size: 3,414 acres approximate total of complex
Containment: 0%
Current Resources:  Crews:  14, Helicopters: 4, Engines:  46, Dozers: 5, Water Tender: 8. Total Personnel:  559

Closure Notice:

Due to concerns with falling debris, Oregon Department of Transportation has closed Highway 138 East from Mile Markers 43 to 54. Road shoulders and pullouts between Mile Markers 31 to 35 of the highway are also closed to protect public and firefighter safety.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Umpqua North Complex Fire Managers, has issued a Level 1 “Get Ready” Evacuation Notice for the Susan Creek residential area and the BLM Susan Creek Campground that will be effective at 1 p.m. today. This covers the area on HWY 138 East form Mile Marker 28 – to the Forest Service/BLM boundary due to increased fire danger.

The Level 3 “Go” Evacuation Notice for the Dry Creek and Illahee areas still stands. Portions of the river remain closed along the North Umpqua River between Steamboat/Gravel Bin put-in and Susan Creek take-out to boaters and anglers due to falling trees and rolling debris.

Current Situation
Increased fire activity is expected later today after the inversion breaks.  The Happy Dog Fire has spotted south across the river near Dry Creek, spreading to 100 acres in very difficult terrain.  On the Fall Creek Fire, Forest Road 4711 is holding as a firebreak and crews continue to work on the western edge of the fire complex to keep it from spreading into private lands. Because the fire continues to move west towards the Umpqua National Forest boundary, fire managers have entered into a Unified Command structure with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry, and the Douglas Forest Protective Association.

The Dry Creek area remains in Level 3 “Go” Evacuation Notice.  The fire has burned around one structure and is directly threatening 10 primary residences in the Dry Creek and Illahee areas.   Crews worked through the night providing structure protection. The Ragged Ridge Fire on the northern end of the complex continues to push up slopes into steep terrain. Fires burning in the Calf-Copeland, Brokentooth, and Devils Canyon area in the southeast portion of the complex continue to grow as fire managers develop a containment strategy and assign resources as they become available.

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality listed air quality as moderate for the today.  For further information, go to: 

Flight Restrictions:  A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fires. Pilots looking for more information on the TFR go to: http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html. The objective is to provide a safe environment for firefighting aircraft operations. The public is reminded that it is illegal to operate drones within a TFR.

Umpqua National Forest Closure Orders:
The Umpqua National Forest remains closed in areas of the North Umpqua and Diamond Lake Ranger Districts.
North Umpqua Ranger District Closure Area: See attached map.
National Forest System (NFS) Roads Closure:
National Forest System (NFS) Road No. 4770- Wilson Creek/ Twin Lakes Rd. at the intersection with
State Hwy. 138 to the end of the road at the Twin Lakes Trailhead. NFS Road No. 4750 and all roads within the North Umpqua Ranger District area closure. In the Diamond Lake Ranger District NFS Road No. 2800-620 is closed.
North Umpqua Ranger District Trails:  Trail No. 1414 - The North Umpqua Trail, from the Tioga Bridge to the Mott & Panther Trailheads on NFS Road No. 4712, Trail No. 1502 - Fall Creek Falls Trail, Trail No. 1513 - Williams Creek Trail, Trail No. 1530 - Riverview Trail, Trail No. 1510 - Deception Trail, Trail No. 1521, Twin Lakes Loop, Trail No. 1500, Twin Lakes Trail, Trail No. 1535- Wild Rose Trail: entire length, and Trail No. 1543 - Fuller Lake Trail: entire length.
Diamond Lake Ranger District Trails: Trail 1412 - Windigo Pass Trail - From intersection with Trail 1445 to Windigo Pass Trailhead, Trail 1414 - The North Umpqua Trail-Closed from WhiteMule Trailhead west to Jesse Wright Trailhead, including the sections Dread & Terror, Hot Springs and Deer Leap. The entire lengths of the following trails are closed:  Trail 1451 - Mt. Bailey Trail, Trail 1452 - Rodley Butte Trail, Trail 1452A - West Lake Trail, Trail 1461 - Dread & Terror Trail, Trail 1464 - Skookum Lake Trail, Trail 1470 - Rogue Umpqua Divide Trail, Trail 1471 -Garwood Butte Trail, Trail 1477 - Whitehorse Meadows Trail, Trail 1491 - Bradley Trail, Trail 1493 - Soda Springs Trail, and Trail 1552 - Boulder Creek Trail.
Recreation Sites:  Steamboat Falls Campground, Wright Creek Campground, and Horseshoe Bend Campground.

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