7/21/2018 South Umpqua Complex Fire Update

The Umpqua National Forest has issued an Emergency Fire Closure for several trails and roads on the Forest. In an effort to strengthen defenses along the upper flank of the Miles Fire, two hotshot crews spent the night burning out fuels between the established line and the approaching fire. Progress was made, but limited by higher night-time relative humidity which kept the fine fuels from carrying the fire. Pumps and hose were installed along the bottom edge of the fire, and a newly arrived large Skycrane helicopter was able to make quick round-trips dropping water on hot spots along the edge of the fire. Overall, however, the wind channeled by the deep canyons pushed the fire further to the southeast. The wind also caused problems on the Snowshoe Fire, which was pushed onto nearby BLM lands. The Cripple Creek Fire has been contained and is in patrol status. Most of its resources will now be reassigned to other fires in the complex. Hotter and drier conditions are returning to the fire area, along with potentially smokier conditions in the South Umpqua drainage. The western marine push will weaken today, causing higher temperatures and further reducing the relative humidity. Transport winds will gradually shift to a light flow from the southwest on Sunday, so smoke from the many fires to the south and west will begin to impact the Tiller area. A community meeting to provide fire information is scheduled for Monday evening at 6:30 PM at the Tiller Fire Station.

Fire at a Glance Size:  2229 acres Containment: 10% Location: 45 miles southeast of Roseburg, Oregon (Tiller Ranger District) Cause: Lightning Personnel: 927 Resources Crews: 30 Aircraft: 2 Type 1 heavy helicopters 1 Type 2 medium helicopter 2 Type 3 light helicopters Engines: 19 Dozers: 9 Tenders: 18 Fire Information: 541-825-3295 SouthUmpquaComplexFire@gmail.com Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5940/ Facebook: Umpqua National Forest