8/16/2015 Collier Butte Fire Update

Fire Update

Sunday, August 16, 2015, PM

Collier Butte Fire – Gold Beach, Oregon

Location:  Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest

Doug Johnson, Incident Commander

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

Oregon Smoke Information:  http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/

Current Situation:

The estimated 6,000-acre Collier Butte Fire is 20 percent contained and staffed with 492 personnel. The fire is burning in the northwest region of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness and remote Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest System lands on the Gold Beach Ranger District.  Fire managers have implemented direct and indirect containment lines to protect values at risk located to the south, west, and north of the fire while reducing firefighter exposure. Rugged terrain and abundant snags present a multitude of challenges to firefighter safety. Management of this fire is likely to endure for an extended period due to the shortage of available resources and the limited access.

Hot and dry conditions persisted throughout the day and are anticipated to continue over the next few days. Winds were strong in exposed areas, where gusts reached speeds up to 64 mph, while more sheltered locations were relatively calm. The Chetco effect winds are projected to continue tomorrow before subsiding on Tuesday. Although strong winds are not expected on Tuesday, other forecasted critical fire weather factors have lead meteorologists to issue an incident-specific Red Flag Warning for the area of the fire until Tuesday night.

The fire was active on the west flank today as it moved through unburned areas inside control lines. Fire activity also increased on the east side of Collier Creek. Helicopters supported suppression efforts by cooling hot spots to slow the fire’s advance and to avoid torching and spotting. Winds were relatively calm in the north and firefighters made progress constructing alternate containment lines toward the Illinois River. Lookouts were posted in the south where 25 mph sustained winds prevailed. Managers continue to scout locations for additional containment lines and evaluate natural barriers on all sides of the fire.

There are currently over 100 uncontained large fires in the nation resulting in a scarcity of resources. Crews, aircraft and qualified support personnel are in high demand and short supply. High-priority values at risk on other fires are in need of vast numbers of resources to protect lives and homes, and crews and aircraft are being reassigned and moved to protect these values. Collier Butte Fire managers are positioning available resources to focus on holding and securing primary and alternate containment lines. Additionally, aviation managers are attempting to coordinate the sharing of aircraft with other fires in Southwest Oregon.

Closures:

Businesses along the south coast and Rogue River remain open.  Residents and visitors to Gold Beach, Brookings and nearby communities are encouraged to drive carefully as firefighter traffic in the area has increased.  Although the Event Center on the Beach is currently closed to the public, the Curry County Fairgrounds in Gold Beach will host the Fair August 27-30 as planned.

For information on closures on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, please see the Facebook page or the Inciweb page listed above.