06/13/2015 Buckskin Fire PM Update

June 13, 2015, PM

Buckskin Fire – Cave Junction, Oregon

Incident Commander Doug Johnson

Information Center – 541-618-2113

Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4286/

Email: Buckskinfire2015@gmail.com

  

Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 3, under the leadership of Incident Commander Doug Johnson, assumed command of the Buckskin Fire at 6:00 am this morning.

Current Situation:

The Buckskin Fire continued to grow southward along Baldface Creek due to sustained, gusty 40 mph winds in combination with low relative humidity.  The fire has grown to an estimated 1,200 acres. The wildfire is burning on the Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest 10 miles southwest of Cave Junction in an area previously burned by the 2002 Biscuit Fire.

 Firefighters were shuttled today by helicopter onto the fire’s northeast flank.  Crews prepped Trail 1210-2 by cutting and removing brush.  Heavy lift helicopters assisted firefighters with water bucket drops. Three spots fires have been identified to the south/southwest in front of the main body of the fire.  The largest is approximately 30 acres.  Heavy lift helicopters were utilized to drop water and reduce the fire spread. Two dozers worked along Forest Road 112 on the fire’s east flank cleaning the road for easier access.  The local 10-person Fire Crew monitored the fire growth and scouted areas to identify containment line placement.

Fire personnel spent the day scouting the fire’s perimeter and developing a strategy for full fire suppression, while monitoring fire growth.

A red flag warning remains in effect for the fire area through Sunday afternoon due to a combination of low relative humidity and high winds.  These conditions may contribute to rapid fire growth.

Natural resources at risk from the Buckskin Fire include: critical Coho Salmon habitat, Northern Spotted Owl habitat, Marbled Murrelet habitat and wilderness values.

Local forest officials are working with Team 3 to develop an area closure around the fire for public safety.

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR):  TFRs are in place over the Buckskin Fire.  Please check the NOTAMs for current information.  The helibase is now located at the Illinois Valley Airport.

The Incident Command Post is located at Lake Selmac County Campground and is closed to non-fire activity.  The public is urged to drive cautiously on Highway 199 and nearby areas due to the increase of fire traffic.  Forest visitors are encouraged to use caution when using public lands due to the current fire danger