Umpqua North Complex Update
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Recorded Information: (855) 419-2349
Incident: Lightning started dozens of fires across the northern Umpqua National Forest along both sides of Highway 138 East during the week of Aug. 9, 2017. There are currently 14 active fires in the complex, which is located 50 miles east of Roseburg in Douglas County, Ore.
Incident Command: Unified Command – Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team; Tom Kurth, Incident Commander, Douglas Forest Protective Association; Dan Thorpe, Incident Commander. The California Interagency Incident Management Team, Jay Kurth, Incident Commander, will take over managing the complex at 7:00 a.m. Friday.
Current Size: 25,358 acres estimated total of complex based on an infrared flight on Aug. 30. Containment: 21%. Current Resources: Crews: 21; Helicopters: 5; Engines: 94; Dozers: 16; Water Tenders: 23; Masticators: 7; Skidgens: 5; Total Personnel: 1,040.
Current Situation: Firefighters are focused on reinforcing their control lines and contingency lines today as a high-pressure system builds over the Umpqua National Forest and temperatures rise above 100 degrees starting Friday. A high of 104 is forecast for Saturday, along with relative humidity dropping into the 20s. The clear skies associated with this system will promote active burning that will test the work firefighters have done over the past two weeks.
The primary concern for fire managers is the Happy Dog Fire north of Highway 138 East and keeping it from coming back out of the 2008 Rattle Fire scar and impacting the Hwy 138 E corridor. If it spreads back to the south, the areas of Dry Creek, Illahee Flats, Soda Springs, and Slide Creek could be impacted. Another area of concern is the portion of the Happy Dog south of Hwy 138 E. There, burnout operations have removed fuels ahead of the fire along the PacifiCorp powerline and Forest Road 28 to halt its advance toward Oak Nob and further east to the 138 corridor. South along Forest Road 28, firefighters will continue to build contingency lines east of the road to head off the chance of the Brokentooth and Mudd 2 fires advancing further east.
The Happy Dog Fire and the Ragged Ridge Fire have merged into one fire, mainly due to the success of the tactical firing operations along their west flank. This is to keep the fires from spreading to the west into the Steamboat Creek drainage and compromising Forest Road 38. Crews are using heavy equipment to the northeast of these fires to construct control lines but handlines will be needed to tie them together. These efforts are to prevent the Happy Dog Fire from gaining further ground to the northern portions the Umpqua National Forest.
Firefighters in the Devils Canyon area have just about made it around the Devil Fire with their initial saw line and hose lay. Work will continue to improve saw line toward an acceptable contained perimeter. Patrols are still monitoring the nearby Dog Prairie Fire as the steep country and higher elevations have slowed that fire’s growth.
Containment line continues to increase around the Fall Creek Fire as firefighters improve and strengthen the work they have conducted over the past two weeks. Interior pockets of unburned vegetation will continue to burn and will be visible to motorists on Hwy 138 E.
Hwy 138 E remains closed from Mile Marker 47 to 54 because of hazardous conditions caused by the Happy Dog Fire. Fire managers, along with the Oregon Department of Transportation, are re-evaluating the risk along this stretch of the road daily.
Closure Notices:
In addition to the road closure on Hwy 138 E from Mile Markers 47 to 54, the road shoulders and pullouts between Mile Markers 31 to 35 are also closed to provide for public and firefighter safety. For the latest road closure information, call the Oregon Department of Transportation at 511 or go to https://tripcheck.com/Pages/
The Umpqua National Forest remains closed in areas of the North Umpqua and Diamond Lake Ranger Districts. The North Umpqua River remains closed to boaters and anglers from Boulder Flat Raft Launch to Susan Creek Campground due to falling trees and rolling debris except for a short stretch of river near the Steamboat Inn that is open to fishing. For more information on forest closures see Public Notices at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/
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) – Dry Creek and Illahee areas and Moore Hill Lane.
Flight Restrictions:
The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) for the fire complex remains in place. Pilots looking for additional information on the TFR go to http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.