Umpqua North Complex Update
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Recorded Information: (855) 419-2349
Community Meeting at the Toketee Ranger Station,
3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017
The Umpqua North Fire Complex fire officials will hold a community meeting on the patio behind the Ranger Station. Agency representatives and fire managers will present current fire information and answer questions from the affected area’s residents. Please note that the N. Umpqua Highway (HWY 138 E) is closed between Mile Markers 43 and 54.
Incident: During the week of Aug. 9, lightning started dozens of fires across the northern Umpqua National Forest, along both sides of Highway 138 East, east of Roseburg in Douglas County, Oregon.
Incident Command: Unified Command – Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team; Tom Kurth, Incident Commander, Douglas Forest Protective Association; Dan Thorpe, Incident Commander.
Current Size: 11,680 acres estimated total of complex from Infrared flight overnight.
Containment: 1%
Current Resources: Crews: 13, Helicopters: 3, Engines: 72, Dozers: 11, Water Tender: 16, Masticator: 2, Skidgen: 3, Total Personnel: 854
Closure Notice:
Highway 138 East from Mile Markers 43 to 54 remains closed due to concerns with falling debris and fire activity. Road shoulders and pullouts between Mile Markers 31 to 35 of the highway are also closed to provide for public and firefighter safety.
The North Umpqua River remains closed from Boulder Flat Raft Launch to Susan Creek Campground to boaters and anglers due to falling trees and rolling debris.
Evacuation Notices: No changes from Sunday August 20, 2017
Level 1 Evacuation Notice – “Get Ready” (threat in the area) – the Clearwater area, along Highway 138 East from Mile Marker 53 to Mile Marker 61, the Susan Creek residential area and the BLM Susan Creek Campground, HWY 138 E from Mile Marker 28 east to the Forest Service/BLM.
Level 2 Evacuation Notice – “Get Set” (threat is increasing) – Moore Hill Lane.
Level 3 Evacuation Notice – “Go” (threat is imminent) – Dry Creek and Illahee areas.
Current Situation:
Firefighters made progress on Tuesday with burnout operations on the west side of the Fall Creek Fire and are close to completing this work. Burnout objectives are to use low intensity ignition techniques to produce a ground fire to remove burnable vegetation between the fire and firelines. Crews continued to improve control lines on the south and east side of this fire. They were also able to keep the Ragged Ridge and Happy Dog North fires from moving into the Steamboat drainage. In the Devil’s Canyon area, crews were able to complete the construction of a fireline around Fire #320. The Devils Canyon Fire itself (#305), however, presented firefighters with challenges as steep terrain temporarily halted their progress. Firefighters continue to be challenged by falling debris that often prohibited use of Highway 138. Personnel from the Umpqua North Complex successfully provided emergency medical care to a resident near Dry Creek.
Additional resources arrived at the Complex on Tuesday. These crews and equipment will be used strategically to build and reinforce containment lines around the 135 miles of fire perimeter. Wednesday’s plans include continuing the work on the west side of the Fall Creek Fire to prevent its spread toward private lands. In the Dry Creek/Ragged Ridge area, crews will work to hold the fire at the 4760 Road.
South of Highway 138, the goal today is to keep the fire west of the Copeland Creek Road (the 28 Road). Firefighters will continue to work along the 428 Road on the Brokentooth Fire to prevent its spread toward the east. On the Devils Canyon Fire, personnel will begin establishing an indirect line away from the main fire, since steep terrain makes direct line construction impossible.
Weather Conditions:
Fire activity will be moderated today by cloudy skies and mild temperatures. High temperatures will range from 71 at higher elevations to 84 in the valleys. Relative humidity will drop to 36 to 44% and winds will be relatively light, ranging from1 to 14 mph.
The Smoke Outlook for the Umpqua North Complex for Wednesday is “Unhealthy for Special Groups” in the Glide and Diamond Lake areas, and “Unhealthy” for Steamboat / Toketee Falls areas. For further information, go to: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.
Structure Protection Planning
As the Happy Dog and Fall Creek fires continue to move both east and west along the HWY 138 E corridor, the Structure Protection Group is out ahead of the advancing fires by many miles. This group is tasked with developing structure protection plans for individual homes and structures. These plans require an on-site inspection during which they review ingress and egress routes, conditions of defensible space around the structures, and safety zones should fire threaten the structures. Fire crews perform mitigating measures if time permits. Please welcome these firefighters as they arrive to your home to complete this important work.
Flight Restrictions:
The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) was modified Monday, August 22 for the fire complex. Pilots looking for additional information on the TFR go to: http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.
Umpqua National Forest Closure Orders:
The Umpqua National Forest remains closed in areas of the North Umpqua and Diamond Lake Ranger Districts. For more information see Public Notices at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/
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