Thursday, August 9, 2018

8/9/2018 - Taylor Creek Fire Update

                       

Taylor Creek Fire Update

Thursday, August 9, 2018
Community Meeting tomorrow night in Agness. Fire managers and agency representatives will be on hand to give a fire update and answer questions from the community. Come by the Agness Community Library, 3905 Cougar Lane, Agness, OR on Friday, August 10th at 6pm.

Elevated fire weather conditions expected today with critical fire weather conditions tomorrow. It will be another day of very high temperatures with potential for reaching 106 degrees in valley bottoms. Winds will shift from north to westerly and smoke will clear on Friday. This may be a mixed blessing as the cap of smoke has been moderating fire behavior. Expect to see smoke columns rising into the air on Friday as portions of the perimeter become active.

The fire edge is now along Bear Camp Road. Night shift resources continued firing operations on the northwest corner of the Taylor Creek Fire. Crews will continue to hold and improve that line today. Trees and boulders loosened by fire on steep slopes continue to be a hazard to firefighters working on the road below.

With many fires burning resources are scarce. Firefighters from Australia and New Zealand join the fight today. A Surge Group of two Hotshot Crews and one Initial Attack crew has arrived to help secure the southeast corner of the Klondike fire. Structure protection is in place along Illinois River Road and the Surge Group will begin firing in the southeast corner moving west to create a wide, black buffer between the fire and the community of Selma.

Contingency planning continues to the east and west of both fires.  With primary lines in place, alternate and contingency lines are being scouted and constructed. Old dozers lines from the Biscuit and Chetko Bar fires have been opened and the removal of hazard trees continues toward Snow Camp and Agness.

With the diminished threat to structures on the Taylor Creek and Klondike fires, the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s resources have been repositioned to the Miles fire. Local Wild River resources will continue to patrol and remain in place for structure protection.

Interactive map of current evacuation levels is available at http://bit.ly/joco-evac. Get emergency alerts at www.rvem.org.
Quick Facts
Fire Location:
Taylor - Approx. 10 miles west of Grants Pass, Oregon
Klondike - Approx. 9 miles northwest of Selma, Oregon
Approximate Acreage: Taylor Creek - 42,996; Klondike - 36,876
Containment: Taylor Creek - 38%; Klondike - 15%
Start Date: July 15, 2018
Cause: Lightning
Incident Commanders: Chris Shulte
Resources on the Fire:
Taylor Creek - 41 crews, 45 engines, 23 water tenders, 13 dozers, 8 helicopters
Klondike - 11 crews, 24 engines, 12 water tenders, 4 dozers, 0 helicopters
Total Personnel:
Taylor Creek - 1,422
Klondike - 444
Cooperating Agencies: Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Rogue Valley Fire Chiefs Associaion, Josephine County Sheriff, Jackson County Sheriff, Josephine County Emergency Management, U.S. Forest Service Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and Umpqua National Forest, United States National Guard and American Red Cross.

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