8/28/2018 Klondike Fire West and Taylor Creek Fires

Fire Update – Tuesday, August 28, 2018 – 8:00 a.m. Klondike Fire West Zone California Interagency Incident Management Team 4 Jay Kurth, Incident Commander Firefighters continue to implement an aggressive and adaptive approach to suppressing the fire in the Klondike West Zone.  Additional hot shot crews, hand crews and engines arrived yesterday. Three hotshot crews, 15 hand crews and 48 engines are now assigned to the Klondike West Fire. In addition, six heavy helicopters and four light helicopters are also available today. The retardant line along Silver Peak Ridge held through the day yesterday and the fire did not cross Silver Creek Ridge. Air tankers and large helicopters were used to keep the fire in check.  The fire also burned westward in the Silver Creek drainage where it became very active yesterday afternoon.  The fire spread into to the confluence of Silver Creek and the Illinois River.  A large smoke plume developed yesterday afternoon as the fire burned through dead and down trees killed in the 2002 Biscuit Fire. Northeast winds blew smoke in the direction of Gold Beach and Brookings.  Spots fires started west of the Illinois River yesterday which were aggressively attacked by air tankers and helicopters. Several spot fires did burn together, however.  Last night a strong east wind blew across the fire.  Infrared images from a 10 p.m. reconnaissance flight last night showed that approximately 1,000 acres of fire spread west of the Illinois River. Efforts are directed at limiting fire growth by using the 2015 Collier Fire burn scar. Fire managers are committed to maximizing every effort to take actions that will keep this fire in the smallest footprint possible. They are constantly looking for safe and effective ways to stop the fire which is burning in step, rugged and mostly inaccessible areas.  Planning for several possibilities is currently underway, including the last resort option of using fire-lines created during the 2002 Biscuit Fire situated north and west of the Illinois River. To not consider this option, and plan for its possibility, says California Interagency Incident Management Team 4 Incident Commander Jay Kurth, would be irresponsible.  Crews continue to construct additional fire-lines to help contain the fire in other areas as opportunities arise. Evacuation level in the Agness Zone is 2 - Be Set. Taylor Creek Fire/ Klondike Fire East Zone Northwest Incident Management Team 12  Richy Harrod, Incident Commander Strong east winds overnight tested containment lines on the Taylor Creek and East Zone of the Klondike Fires.  Gusts exceeding 30 miles per hour were recorded at the Onion Mountain Lookout weather station. The lines passed the test and held the fires within containment lines.  On Tuesday crews will continue to repair fire suppression impacts, mop-up remaining hot-spots and actively patrol the fire-lines.   Fire managers will continue right-sizing the organization,   determining which resources are needed for the remaining work and which can be freed up to assist with other incidents. Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel issued a downgrade of the fire evacuation levels on the Illinois River Road within the East Zone of the Klondike Fire.  The downgrading shifts the area from milepost 2.5 to Oak Flat along the Illinois River Road to Level 1 “Be Ready”.  This move represents the reduced risk to landowners from the fire in this area. Wind gusts will begin to diminish in the late morning on Tuesday.  Today will be warmer and drier with temperatures in the 80s and relative humidity dropping below 20%.  These conditions could produce moderate fire activity in unburned islands of fuel within the fire perimeter, resulting in increased smoke.  Forecasts call for a slight cooling trend beginning in the middle of the week. Hunters returning to the forest this fall are reminded that fire danger remains high and they should use extreme caution.  Precautionary measures, such as checking to make sure trailer chains don’t drag through dry grass, are encouraged. Quick Facts Incident Summary Approximate Acreage     Taylor Cr.: 52,838 acres (approx) , Klondike: 93,358 acres (approx) Containment    Taylor Creek: 95% Klondike: 37% Reported Date (Cause)    Taylor Creek & Klondike:  July 15, 2018 (lightning) Incident Commanders Craig Glazier, Northwest Incident Management Team 12 Jay Kurth, California Interagency Incident Management Team 4 Resources    Taylor Creek: 0 - crews, 20 - engines, 1- water tender, 6 - dozers, 0- helicopters Klondike:  18 - crews, 48 - engines, 2- water tender, 6 - dozers, 12 - helicopters Total Personnel    Taylor Creek: 209 Klondike: 1,040 Cooperating Agencies    Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Rogue Valley Fire Chiefs Association, Coos Forest Protective Association, Josephine County Sheriff, Josephine County Emergency Management, Josephine County and Illinois Valley Fire Departments, U.S. Forest Service Rogue River-Siskiyou and Umpqua National Forests, Oregon National Guard, and the American Red Cross. Online Links InciWeb: Taylor Creek Fire InciWeb: Klondike Fire  Evacuation levels: http://bit.ly/joco-evac Facebook: Taylor Creek & Klondike Fires  Air Quality: www.oregonsmoke.blogspot.com