08/17/2017 Umpqua National Forest Update

Contact: Emily Veale, (541) 670-5289                Email: UmpquaFireInfo@gmail.com

Fire Update for Umpqua National Forest

August 17, 2017, 10:30 a.m.

Current Situation: Fire activity increased on the Happy Dog fire near Dry Creek prompted a Level 3 “GO” evacuation Thursday at 6 p.m. for the Dry Creek Community, Illahee Road and Last Resort RV Park. Rolling debris and threatened power lines led the Oregon Department of Transportation to close Highway 138 for public safety from mile marker 39 (22 miles east of Glide) to mile marker 54. That is the stretch from the junction of Forest Road 38 (Steamboat Creek Road) to Milepost 54 between Boulder Flat Campground and Forest Road 4775 (Medicine Creek Road).  PacifiCorp de-engergized power lines in the area to mitigate any power disruption to the area due to fire activity.

 

Firefighters responded yesterday to two new fire starts reported on the Diamond Lake Ranger District for a total of 30-plus acres. Fire activity on current incidents increased in the afternoon due to warm temperatures leading to an increase of acreage on the existing incidents. Steep and rugged terrain remains a challenge for crews as the work to contain current fires and initial attack new starts. Firefighters in also responded to two new starts on the Tiller Ranger District for a total of forty-plus acres. We continue to work with Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) on the Umpqua North Complex.

 

Alaska Type 1 Interagency Incident Management Team (Kurth) is overseeing the Umpqua North Complex on the North Umpqua and Diamond Lake ranger districts and the Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 8 (Keith) is managing the Falcon Complex on the Tiller Ranger District

 

Fire Resources:  

9 Fire Crews

20 Engines

2 Type 2 Helicopters

3 Dozers

5 Water Tenders

Weather:  A warming and drying trend will continue the rest of the week with little chance of thunderstorms. East to northeast winds are expected in the afternoon and evening.

Evacuations/Closures:  

Tiller Ranger District: There are multiple road closure modifications on the Tiller Ranger District. Please refer to the Umpqua National Forest website for further information in Forest Order 372. The majority of changes are roads west of the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness.

 

Diamond Lake Ranger District: There are additional road closures on the Diamond Lake Ranger District. Please refer to the Umpqua National Forest website for further information in Forest Order 373.

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North Umpqua Ranger District: There are additional road closures on the North Umpqua Ranger District. Please refer to Forest Order 372. The area north of Highway 138 and east of Forest Road 38 (Steamboat Road) to the Dry Creek community is currently closed. Forest Road 38 remains open to traffic. The other closed area is south of Highway 138 between the westernmost boundary of the Umpqua National Forest and Wright Creek trailhead and dispersed campground. Roads inside the two closed areas are also closed to traffic.

 

Road Closure information and map can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices

 

Campgrounds and Trails: Closed campgrounds: Horseshoe Bend, Steamboat Falls, and Wright Creek.

 

Multiple trail closures are in effect on the Diamond Lake Ranger District. A list of currently closed trails is included in Forest Oder 373. For information please refer to the Umpqua National Forest Website.

In summary, people are asked not to hike or horseback ride into the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness, Boulder Creek Wilderness, or Mt Bailey area. Also closed is the section of North Umpqua Trail from Lemolo Reservoir to Soda Springs and the trail from Kelsay Valley Horse Camp.

River Closure: A portion of the North Umpqua River is closed to all angling, rafting and other recreational use due to significant public safety risks. The closure is from Gravel Bin Take-Out (Steamboat) to the Susan Creek Take-Out.

 

Road Information: Oregon Department of Transportation has closed Highway 138 (North Umpqua Highway) from mile marker 29 (22 east of Glide) to mile marker 59.

Current road information for Highway 138 can be found on the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Tripcheck Website.  https://tripcheck.com/Pages/RCMap.asp

Public Use Restrictions:  Smoking permitted only inside a vehicle or building or in a boat on water. Campfires permitted only in fire rings in designated campgrounds. List of Public Use Restrictions dated 8/11/2017 available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd554660.pdf

 

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