8/13/2015 Collier Butte Fire Update

Fire Location: Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
Incident Commander: Doug Johnson Information Center – 541-247-4447 Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4461
Email: Collierbuttefire@gmail.com
Facebook: U.S. Forest Service-Rogue River - Siskiyou National Forest

A community meeting to provide public information regarding the Collier Butte Fire will be held in Brookings at 6 pm today (Thursday, August 13) at the Brookings-Harbor High School gymnasium. All are invited to attend.
Current Situation: The 5,146-acre Collier Butte Fire is 10 percent contained with 619 personnel working on this full-suppression effort. The wildfire is burning in the northwest portion of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness and remote Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest System lands on the Gold Beach Ranger District. Fire managers have implemented indirect containment lines in an effort to protect values at risk located to the south, west, and north of the fire while reducing firefighter exposure. Firefighters will continue strengthening containment lines with burnout operations intended to remove unburned fuel between the main body of the fire and completed lines. As weather conditions allow, the burnout will progress westward along the 420 spur road toward Forest Road 3680 on the fire’s north flank. Crews and dozers will continue building an alternate line to the north from Game Lake Trailhead east into the Wilderness, using FR 3680. With primary containment lines on the west flank completed and awaiting desirable burning conditions, alternate lines will be improved. Line construction on the south flank continues in order to tie the 460 spur road into the Big Craggies area. As a precautionary measure, firefighters will improve Forest Road 1376 from Mineral Hill to Tolman Ranch and wrap structures in the area with fire-resistant foil. Fire managers are scouting natural barriers to slow fire spread to the east and northeast. Steep terrain, an abundance of snags and limited access continue to provide challenges and safety concerns for firefighters. Warm, dry weather and an increase in wind speed is expected to increase fire activity over the next few days. Resource advisors continuously provide fire suppression measures to protect wilderness values and habitat for coho salmon, northern spotted owl, and marbled murrelet. Closures: Businesses along the south coast and Rogue River remain open. Residents and visitors to Gold Beach, Agness and nearby communities are encouraged to drive carefully as firefighter traffic in the area has increased. Although the area is currently closed to the public, the Curry County Fairgrounds in Gold Beach will host the Fair August 27-30. For information on closures on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, please see the Facebook page or the Inciweb page listed above.