8/21/2015 Collier Butte Fire Update

Fire Update

Thursday, August 20, 2015, PM

Collier Butte Fire – Gold Beach, Oregon

Location: Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, 18 miles east of Gold Beach

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

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

The Curry County Fairgrounds in Gold Beach will host the Fair August 27-30 as planned. The Collier Butte Fire incident command post will be moving to the Gold Beach High School this Saturday to make room for the Fair set-up.

Current Situation:

9,000 acres                          30% Containment            415 Personnel

8 Crews                             5 Dozers              

2 Helicopters                      8 Water Tenders

Burnouts operations on the west line progressed today.  Firefighters brought fire along from Forest Road 3680 to the main fire to secure the remainder of the west flank.  A helicopter assisted burning with an aerial ignition device to add more depth to the lines. On the south containment line, two single engine air tankers dropped retardant along the ridge to pretreat the fireline. Firefighters began to burnout this line from the 460 spur road into the Big Craggies area, but spot fires over containment lines cause firefighters to suspend burnout operations.. Heavy lift helicopters dropped water to extinguish the spots.

Elsewhere on the wildfire, crews mopped-up to cool the fire’s edge by extinguishing burning materials.  Work along the north contingency line from Forest Road 3318 to the Illinois River continued reinforcing the line by removing excess fuels and hazard trees.

Nationally, the wildfire situation remains at a critical level.  All available firefighting resources are being called upon to assist, resulting in a shortage of fire crews, helicopters and support personnel.  Firefighters are being reassigned to more-critical incidents to protect lives, homes and infrastructure. On the Collier Butte Fire, managers are strategically positioning available resources to focus on holding and securing containment lines, and coordinating aircraft use with other fires in southwest Oregon.

Rugged, steep terrain and an abundance of snags present challenges to firefighter safety.  Due to a shortage of firefighting resources and limited wilderness access, management of this wildfire is likely to continue for an extended period.

Businesses along the south coast and Rogue River remain open and welcome visitors.  Residents and visitors to Gold Beach, Brookings and nearby communities are encouraged to drive carefully as firefighter traffic has increased in the area.  The public is encouraged to use caution outdoors, as extreme drought conditions persist.  Fuels are receptive to any type of spark or flame.  For information on closures on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, please see the Facebook page or the Inciweb page listed above.