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
Fire crews completed indirect containment lines along the eastern and southern flanks of the Buckskin fire, now an estimated 2,476 acres with five percent containment. Airtankers applied retardant to fortify these lines and crews installed pumps and water hoses to support today’s burnout operation. The retardant coverage will decrease the potential of spot fires caused by flying embers from the burnout.
The burnout operation is planned to commence todaywhen fuel and weather conditions allow and will take several days to complete. Fire crews will implement a combination of ignition tactics to ignite and consume unburned fuels between the containment line and the main body of the fire in a controlled manner. Ground personnel will use drip torches to bring fire from the containment line downslope towards the main fire. After this safety buffer is created, firefighters will rely on aerial ignition by using a large drip torch attached to a helicopter (helitorch) to burn the interior fuels.
Aided by helicopter water drops, firefighters will continue working to contain the remaining spot fires in the southwest portion of the main fire. A contingency line is in place along the fire’s western flank to provide a safeguard in the event the fire spreads toward the west.
The potential for increased fire activity may result if the westerly winds forecasted for today align with slope and topography.
Fire management officials from the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest have implemented a full suppression strategy of the Buckskin Fire for a number of reasons. Fuels in the area are extremely dry due to a prolonged drought in Southwestern Oregon. This wildfire has exhibited fire behavior conditions normally found in July and August. With an increase inthe number of large wildfires occurring throughout the Western states and Alaska, firefighting resources, aircraft and equipment necessary to manage these fires will become difficult to obtain as the fire season moves forward.
The risk of not aggressively suppressing the Buckskin Fire this time of year is considered too great a threat to the nearby communities if this wildfire were to continue burning 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. Fish biologists, wildlife biologists, botanists, archaeologists and other advisors continuously identify areas with sensitive plant and animal species in order to help protect these valuable natural resources during the fire suppression effort
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To reduce the potential spread of invasive plant 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.
The burnout operations planned over the next several days will produce additional smoke output. 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 Fire Area Closure Order, which closes public access to Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest land surrounding the fire, remains in place to provide 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 – 13; Dozers – 7; Engines – 5; Water Tenders – 13; Helicopters – 11
Total Personnel - 557
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