Buckskin Fire – Cave Junction, Oregon
Fire Location: Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
Incident Commander: Doug Johnson
Information Center – 541-597-2223
Email: Buckskinfire2015@gmail.com
Growth of the Buckskin Fire remained minimal today with an estimated acreage at 2,400 acres with 5% containment. The fire is located in the old fire scar of the 2002 Biscuit Fire.
Indirect containment lines along the eastern and southern flanks have been completed. Air tankers were busy today applying retardant to pretreat fuels along these prepared containment lines in preparation of burnout operations planned for Thursday. The retardant drops began outside of the Wilderness and were applied southward along the east containment lines. The retardant will significantly reduce the probability of ignition of any spot fires caused by flying embers during the burnout.
Fire spread on the western flank continues to be minimal due to sparse fuels. Fire crews have prepared a contingency line along Trail 1233 on the west flank from the Wilderness boundary south should fire spread increase in that area. The west contingency line is in the process of being tied together with contingency lines on the southwest corner.
With completion of containment of the largest of the spot fires southwest of the main fire, firefighters have begun working the remaining spot fires closer to the main body of the fire.
The full suppression strategy of this fire was determined through a complexity analysis completed by the Rogue-River National Forest. Fuels in the area are extremely dry due to prolonged drought. Fuels and fire behavior exhibit conditions normally found in July and August. Other large fires are starting across the Western states and Alaska which will now need firefighters, air resources and equipment to manage those incidents.
Fire fighting resources will become difficult to obtain as the fire season moves forward. As a result, the risk of not aggressively suppressing the Buckskin Fire at this point in the fire season is considered too great a threat to the adjacent communities for the duration of the fire season.
Natural resources at risk from the Buckskin Fire include: critical Coho Salmon habitat, Northern Spotted Owl habitat, Marbled Murrelet habitat and wilderness values. Resource advisors, such as botanists, fish and wildlife biologists and archaeologists, work with the Incident Management Team 3 daily to provide options for suppressing the fire while being sensitive to the resources. To reduce the potential spread of invasive species to lands in and around the fire a “weed wash station” has been set up to wash vehicles going out to the fire area and when returning to camp.
A few isolated locations within the fire continued burning today producing smoke. The burnout operations planned over the next several days will also produce additional smoke. Communities in the Illinois and Rogue Valleys may continue to be impacted by smoke to varying degrees due to shifting winds, which are expected to persist for the next several days. Those with sensitivity to smoke should be aware and take appropriate actions. Detailed air quality information can be found on Oregon Smoke Information at http://OregonSmoke.BlogSpot.
The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Fire Area Closure Order remains in effect closing public access to forest land surrounding the fire for public health and safety. The Order, in its entirety, can be viewed on the Buckskin Fire Inciweb site (see web address above) and Buckskin Fire Facebook web pages.
Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR): The TFR remains in place over the Buckskin Fire. Please check the NOTAMs for current information.
Start Date - June 11, 2015
Location - The wildfire is burning on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest 10 miles southwest of Cave Junction.
Cause - Lightning
Resources - Crews – 12; Dozers – 7; Engines – 5; Water Tenders – 13; Helicopters – 11
Total Personnel - 553
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