9/15/2017 Umpqua North Complex Update

Current Information:

After the predicted cold front passed through the complex on Thursday, fire activity increased in the afternoon with single tree torching, active backing and short runs through the surface fuels.  The most active areas were the east side of the Happy Dog Fire, the northwest area of the Brokentooth Fire, and the northern most tip of the Ragged Ridge Fire.  All five helicopters assigned to the incident supported the firefighters on the ground with water drops.

The fires were active last night as well, despite the high relative humidities.  Flames could be seen in the area around Eagle Rock from the Highway 138 East corridor.  

Crews are working day and night shifts to keep the fire within the existing perimeter.  Today, firefighters will be concentrating efforts on the east side of the Happy Dog Fire, the west side of the Brokentooth fire, and the Highway 138 East corridor.  The west side of the Happy Dog Fire and the Fall Creek Fire remain in monitor status.

The fire weather forecast calls for a sunny day with temperatures ranging from 72 to 77 degrees.  It will also be dry with minimum humidities in the 20 to 30 percent range. 

Because of long drive times between Glide and the eastern edge of the fire, the Type I California Interagency Incident Management Team 4 has been operating out of two camps: one near Glide and one near Diamond Lake.  With a transition to the Type II Great Basin Team 3, the Glide camp will move east to the Diamond Lake camp on Saturday and the new Incident Command Post will be located there.

Limiting impact to recreation and tourism remains a top priority for officials in the Umpqua National Forest.  A revised set of closures was released on Tuesday, September 12.  See the revised order at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd558669.pdf.   Regular fire updates can also be found on the Umpqua National Forest Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UmpquaNationalForest/ and on Inciweb:https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5505/#

Evacuations:

The areas of Dry Creek, Illahee, and Slide Creek along Highway 138 East, Mile Markers 53 to 56, and the Clearwater area, Mile Markers 56 to 61, are in Level 1 Evacuation Notice “Be Ready.”