8/3/2022 Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Evening Update

 

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Contact: Margueritte Hickman, Public Information Officer Phone: (541) 690-8574 Email: margueritte_hickman@firenet.gov Firefighters Continue to Find and Fight New Fires from Recent Lightning   Medford, Oregon 3 August 2022— Today Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (RRSNF) firefighters continued control work on recent lightning-caused fires, as summarized in the table below. The Bitter Fire was detected, attacked and contained to .10 acres by Crew 62 and Crew 10 today. These fires are scattered across a very broad area ranging from nearCrater Lake National Park south to near Fish Lake.   Last night an aerial detection flight was completed over areas affected by yesterday’s lightning on the Siskiyou Mountain Ranger District, the Gold Beach Ranger District, and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area. Significant rain accompanied the lightning, which gives firefighters a little extra time to locate and attack any new fires but does not eliminate the threat of new fires.  Researchers have found that about a quarter of the fires caused by lightning that grow to more than 1000 acres are reported more than a week after they are ignited. Read more about it here: https://bit.ly/3QkJp7s   Aerial reconnaissance (recon) will continue as needed. Close coordination with fire partners is essential to maintain a safe airspace and to be more efficient in the surveillance. Aerial recon flights will look for and report new starts where they are flying regardless of the jurisdiction.   Firefighters are prepared to attack new fires on the Forest, and are also ready to support initial attack efforts with our firefighting partners. RRSNF is also supporting fire suppression off-Forest as follows:   The Forest assigned a load of helicopter rappellers and a Type 1 (heavy) helicopter to the Clover Fire on the Fremont-Winema National Forest.   Today the RRSNF provided 2 twenty-person Type 2 Initial Attack crews and a Type 1 helicopter to support Bureau of Land Management and Oregon Department of Forestry on the Wards Creek Fire about 3 ½ miles NE of Rogue River.   Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest resources continue to be engaged on the Alex Fire, on the Klamath National Forest. An infrared detection flight last night mapped the fire at 151 acres. The 20 foot by 20 foot fire that spotted onto the RRSNF from the Alex Fire is 100% mopped up. This fire is being managed part of the Klamath National Forest’s Yeti Complex. RRSNF resources assigned include 1 Type 3 engine, 2 Type 2 IA crews, , and 1 Division Supervisor. At this time, the fires on the Klamath National Forest are not threatening Oregon communities.    Rogue River Hotshots were sent to the Vantage Highway Fire in Washington.   The McKinney Fire remains uncontained on the Klamath National Forest in Northern California. Yesterday the fire grew approximately 1,210 acres and now is mapped at 57,519 acres. More information on this fire may be found at https://bit.ly/3BxnC8y.    The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) has been closed in areas impacted by the McKinney Fire. Hiking on the PCT is not possible from Etna Summit to the south of Mt. Ashland, a 110-mile segment. Hikers should also be aware that the Tolo Fire is impacting the PCT in Deschutes County as well. The Pacific Crest Trail Association provides links to trail closures here https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/closures/.     Fire danger is classified as EXTREME on the RRSNF. Despite the rain received in some area, fuels will dry out quickly with the heat and wind. Continue to be vigilant in your fire safety efforts. Preventing fires is everyone’s job!   Photo: Fire Status Summary  USDA is an equal opportunity employer provider, employer, and lender