9/22/2014 Onion Mountain Fire Update

Onion Mountain Fire
Daily Update

Monday, September 22, 2014   
Ross Williams, Incident Commander

Yesterday, crews continued to patrol exterior lines and mop-up any hot spots.  Some portions of the line were mopped-up and cold trailed as far in as 150 feet.  Chippers worked to finish up treatment of brush cleared from roadsides.  On the northwest portion, where mop-up is complete and lines are solid, crews pulled hose and returned it to camp.

Several areas of intense heat were identified in interior portions of the burn area.  One of the areas was worked on by a hotshot crew while others were treated with helicopter water drops to reduce fire intensity.  None of these pose any threat to established fire lines.

Along the perimeter, only a few areas were found that needed helicopter support to deal with.  Helicopters were used to refill remote water storage units that supported mop-up activities.

Last night at 6:00 pm, all evacuation notices were lifted by the Josephine County Sheriff.  No evacuation notices are currently in effect for areas near the Onion Mountain Fire.

Today, crews will continue to monitor and mop-up along all sections of the perimeter.  Suppression repair (water barring line and pulling slash back over the disturbed areas to prevent erosion) will begin in some areas in advance of expected rain on Wednesday.  Hose and other equipment will be gathered from the line and returned to camp from areas where mop-up is complete.

With the lifting of the evacuation notices, the one remaining structure protection engine will be released.  A night shift will again patrol areas of the fire and take action on any hot spots found.

The weather is expected to cool gradually over the next few days; humidity will rise; winds will be light out of the west.  This should decrease the chance of active fire developing.  Possible wetting rain is expected Wednesday and Thursday.                   

Fire at a Glance

Size:  4,106 acres
Containment:  60%
Assigned personnel:  923

Aircraft:

4 Heavy-lift helicopters
4 Medium-lift helicopters
1 Light-lift helicopters
1 Fixed-wing air management aircraft

Location: 15 miles west of Grants Pass, Oregon

Closures:  Sam Brown Campground and Horse Camp, Briggs Campground, Myers Campground, Portions of Forest Roads 2500, 2509, and 2706.  See the forest website for specific information.http://www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-siskiyou/

Evacuation Notifications:
Level and Area|
1              None.
2              None
3              None

For More Fire Information
Phone:  541-471-7441
E-Mail:  onionmtfireinfo@gmail.com

Websites:
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4111/
www.swofire.com
“Josephine County Emergency Preparedness” Facebook Page