8/23/2015 Collier Butte PM Fire Update

Collier Butte Fire - Gold Beach, Oregon 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 Oregon Smoke Information: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/

Sunday, August 23, 2015, PM

There will be a public meeting Monday, August 24, 2015 at 6 pm in the old gymnasium of the Gold Beach High School.   Current Situation: 9,600 acres                          40% Containment            241 Personnel                  3 Crews                                2 Dozers              2 Helicopters                      8 Water Tenders              8 Engines Firefighters patrolled and secured containment lines on the west flank today. Chipping and brushing progressed north along FR 3318 to the Illinois River as crews and equipment strive to complete this contingency line. The fire continues to slowly spread to the east in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, but has not crossed the Illinois River.  Natural barriers with sparse vegetation are limiting fire growth in that direction. South winds gave firefighters an advantage this afternoon, providing the opportunity to burnout the remainder of the south flank. Personnel on the ground used hand-carried drip torches and were aided by aerial ignition from a plastic sphere dispenser (PSD) in a helicopter. The helicopter will continue to remove islands of vegetation with the PSD in future operational periods, while others assist with water drops to cool hot spots and prevent isolated tree torching. Burnout operations are an important part of securing the southern containment line to prevent the fire’s spread into Mislatnah Creek and the Chetco River watershed. Current water sources in the vicinity have been adequate to support the needs of the burnout. To date, there has been no water withdrawal from the Chetco River, and none are anticipated. If absolutely necessary, however, the following measures will be taken: (1) tenders will be filled before leaving Gold Beach, (2) fish screens will be used in coho critical habitat, (3) no helicopters will dip from the Chetco, and (4) no more than 12,000 gallons per day would be removed – an impact of 0.03% of the overall daily flow. Rugged, steep terrain and an abundance of snags present challenges to firefighter safety. The wildfire situation remains at a critical level, resulting in a shortage of fire crews, helicopters and support personnel.  Due to this shortage of firefighting resources and limited wilderness access, management of this wildfire is likely to continue for an extended period.  Smoke from the fire may be visible throughout the remainder of the fire season. For information on closures on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, please see the Facebook page or the Inciweb page listed above. 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. With extreme drought conditions in southwestern Oregon, the public is encouraged to use caution outdoors.  Any type of spark or flame may ignite a wildfire.  Please follow local fire restrictions and remain mindful of fire prevention.