8/14/2017 Umpqua National Forest Fire Update

Fire Update for Umpqua National Forest

August 14, 2017, 9:30 am

Current Situation: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon State Marine Board closed a portion of the North Umpqua River to boaters/rafter’s due to increased fire activity and concern for recreationist safety. Boulder Creek Takeout to Susan Creek are closed until further notice.

Alaska Type 1 Interagency Management Team (Kurth) assumed command of the Umpqua North Complex Sunday at 6:00 pm.  The Umpqua North Complex includes the Happy Dog fire near Dry Creek, Falls Creek Fire and multiple smaller fires on the Diamond Lake and North Umpqua ranger districts. The Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 8 (Keith) is still managing the Falcon Complex on the Tiller Ranger District.

There are 54 active wildfires on the forest for a total of approximately 1175 acres. With limited resources, managers are prioritizing fires which are a threat to safety, private property, infrastructure and where they will be the most successful. This includes sharing firefighting resources with neighboring forests who also have large fires. The forest anticipates additional smoke reports as weather moves into a warming and drying trend this week.

Fire Resources:  

13 Fire Crews

20 Engines

1 Type 2 Helicopter

3 Bulldozers

8 Water Tenders

Weather:  Slightly cooler temperatures thru Monday with warming and drying trend beginning Tuesday. Slight winds in the afternoon and evening are expected with no wetting rain.

Evacuations/Closures:  

Tiller Ranger District: The closed roads consist of National Forest Road No. 29 and all spur roads.

Diamond Lake Ranger District: Forest Road 4750 (Calf Creek Road) and Forest Road 2800620 (Ringtail-Oakie Loop Road), located south of Highway 138 between Dry Creek and Toketee.

North Umpqua Ranger District: North of Highway 138 and east of Forest Road 28 (Steamboat Road) to the Dry Creek community are currently closed. Forest Road 28 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: Campgrounds: Horseshoe Bend, Steamboat Falls, and Wright Creek. The following trails are closed: Fall Creek Falls trail, Riverview trail, Williams Creek trail, Twin Lakes Loop, Twin Lake Trail and Deception Creek trail. Also closed is the 10-mile section of the North Umpqua Trail from the westernmost boundary of the Umpqua National Forest to the Mott Trailhead.

The Dry Creek Communities and Horseshoe Bend Campground remain at a Level 3 “Go” evacuation.  Residents may relocate to the American Red Cross evacuation shelter at the Glide Seventh Day Adventist Church (19085 North Umpqua Highway, Glide)

Residents living on Moore Hill Lane in IIdleyd Park remain at a Level 2 “Set” evacuation notice by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office due significant wildfire danger in the area. Level 2 means residents must be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. Residents should be aware of the danger that exists in their area, monitor emergency services websites and local media outlets for information.

Community Meetings: The Umpqua North Complex will be having a community meeting for Umpqua North Complex on Tuesday, August 15^th, 7:00 pm at the Glide Community Center.

Road Information: 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

We would like to thank the Douglas County Fire District #2, Roseburg Fire Department, Tenmile Rural Fire Department, Lookingglass Rural Fire Department and North Douglas Fire & EMS for their support un suppression efforts and structure protection in the Dry Creek Area. These partners are a vital asset supporting our ability to protect the structures in this community.