August 21, 2015
After three weeks of hard dangerous work, crews now have the Stouts Creek Fire fully encircled with a blackline—when the fire’s edge has burnt to a road or other fireline and is secure. Last night, fire crews completed burn out operations on the last piece of the 51-mile fire perimeter. Reaching this milestone has been the fire crews’ focus for the past week.
“I feel really good about where we are at,” said John Pellisier Operations Section Chief. “I was able to sleep easy last night knowing that we have this thing cinched up.”
While the mood at morning briefing was upbeat, fire managers reminded crews to be vigilant and stay focused on the work ahead. “Yes, we have a blackline around this fire. That’s great. And we still have lots of work to do,” said Incident Commander Chris Cline. “We need to stay focused and make sure our lines hold as the weather heats back up in coming days.”
The day shift will focus on burning interior patches of unburnt fuels near the southern tip of the fire. These operations will produce smoke for at least a couple more days. Once the burnout is secured, the evacuation level on Upper Cow Creek Road will be reduced. Until then, the evacuation levels remain unchanged.
A Level 2 Evacuation notice (Get Set) remains in place for residents on Upper Cow Creek Road east of Devils Flat to the end of the road. This precautionary measure is because of high temperatures and low humidities that might cause increased fire behavior. The Stouts Creek Fire has blackened 26,188 acres and is 80% contained and still has the potential for rapid growth. A contingency plan to protect structures on Upper Cow Creek is in place and will be activated if needed. Evacuation levels for all other areas remain at Level 1 (Get Ready).
The Stouts Creek Fire has been managed under unified command by Oregon Department of Forestry Team 2 Incident Commander Chris Cline and Forest Service Incident Commander Mike Wilde, since August 13.
There are 764 personnel assigned to the fire with 11 crews, 19 engines, 25 water tenders, 13 bulldozers and six helicopters. To date, the Stout Creek Fire has cost $33.3 million.
The Incident Management Team is protecting lands that are about 46% on state protected lands, which include BLM and private lands and 54% on the Umpqua National Forest.
August 21, 2015
Location: Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, 18 miles east of Gold Beach
Incident Commander: Doug Johnson
Information Center: 541-247-4447
Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4461Email: collierbuttefire@gmail.com
Facebook: U.S. Forest Service-Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest
Oregon Smoke Information: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/
The Curry County Fairgrounds in Gold Beach will host the Fair August 27-30 as planned. The Collier Butte Fire incident command post will be moving to the Gold Beach High School Saturday to make room for the Fair set-up.
Current Situation:
9,000 acres
30% Containment
415 Personnel
5 Crews
5 Dozers
2 Helicopters
8 Water Tenders
11 Engines
With firelines in place on the north, west and south flanks, firefighters will focus on securing containment lines by burning fuel along the fire’s edge and interior pockets within the fire perimeter. Burnout operations will also focus on the containment line between Big Craggies and the Collier Butte vicinities, and will begin only if favorable weather conditions exist. A helicopter equipped with an aerial ignition device is available to assist ground personnel by burning areas that are difficult to access.
Helicopters will shuttle crews into the Wilderness to assist in containing burnout operations. Portable water pumps and hoses remain in place to provide water support, and two heavy lift helicopters stationed in Agness will be available to drop water.
Crews and engines will continue mop up operations to extinguish burning and smoldering vegetation along the fire edge. Firefighters will improve secondary and contingency lines by falling hazard trees and removing excess fuels. These precautionary lines extend north from Forest Road 3318 to the Illinois River and south along Forest Road 1376 to the Chetco River. The fire continues spreading east into remote, inaccessible land in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, yet remains west of the Illinois River.
Nationally, the wildfire situation remains at a critical level. All available firefighting resources are being called upon to assist, resulting in a shortage of fire crews, helicopters and support personnel. Firefighters are being reassigned to more-critical incidents to protect lives, homes and infrastructure. On the Collier Butte Fire, managers are strategically positioning available resources to focus on holding and securing containment lines, and coordinating aircraft use with other fires in southwest Oregon.
Rugged, steep terrain and an abundance of snags present challenges to firefighter safety. Due to a shortage of firefighting resources and limited wilderness access, management of this wildfire is likely to continue for an extended period. Smoke from the fire may be visible at the times throughout the remainder of the fire season.
Businesses along the south coast and Rogue River remain open and welcome visitors. Residents and visitors to Gold Beach, Brookings and nearby communities are encouraged to drive carefully as firefighter traffic has increased in the area. The public is encouraged to use caution outdoors, as extreme drought conditions persist. Fuels are receptive to any type of spark or flame. For information on closures on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, please see the Facebook page or the Inciweb page listed above.
August 20, 2015
The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon District imposed a complete shutdown August 1 on public use of power-driven machinery. This shutdown includes any equipment that uses a petroleum fuel-powered, spark-emitting engine. The list of equipment this restriction affects is long, but it includes chain saws, brush cutters, mowers and generators.
This restriction does not apply to cutting irrigated green grass, or to machinery used for the commercial culture or harvest of agricultural crops. It also does not apply to industrial activities, which are currently regulated under Industrial Fire Precaution Level III (three).
The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon District protects 1.8 million acres of state, private, county, and Bureau of Land Management lands in Jackson and Josephine counties. Fire season regulations also apply in county, state and BLM day-use areas and campgrounds.
For more information about the Oregon Department of Forestry’s fire season regulations, please call or visit the Southwest Oregon District unit office nearest to you:
- Medford Unit, 5286 Table Rock Rd., Central Point. (541) 664-3328
- Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Dr., Grants Pass. (541) 474-3152
August 20, 2015
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is prohibiting all campfires in Oregon State Parks and other properties owned and managed by the department beginning Aug. 19 at 10 a.m. The ban includes but is not limited to designated fire pits, tiki torches and candles. The ban also extends to fires on ocean beaches.
“Our goal is to avoid any accidental fires on OPRD property that would further tax limited firefighting resources,” said MG Devereux, OPRD Deputy Director. “Most communities have sent local firefighters and equipment to help with wildfires throughout the state. An unintentional fire in a state park would add an unnecessary burden to firefighting efforts.”
The state park ban doesn’t apply to propane stoves and/or charcoal briquettes for cooking, but there may be local fire restrictions that do limit propane stoves and briquettes. Visitors planning a trip should check with park staff for the most current information, or by calling the state park information line at (800) 551-6949 or visiting www.oregonstateparks.org.
This ban will remain in effect for at least one week and will be re-evaluated based on fire status, weather, and guidance from state and local fire officials.
August 19, 2015
Crews on the Stouts Creek Fire are nearing the goal of encircling the fire with containment lines. Last night, fire crews burned out another small chunk of the fireline, leaving less than one-half mile of fireline to be completed. Once this is accomplished there will be 51 miles of fireline around this fire.
“We are very close to closing this gap and having this fire fully lined. We are getting close to connecting the firelines at the south end of the fire” said John Pellisier Operation Section Chief for the Oregon Department of Forestry.
With firefighting forces focused on the southern end of the fire the Incident Commander reminded fire crews to remain vigilant throughout the day as temperatures climb and conditions change.
“Today we will hold and strengthen our containment lines and, when the time is right, we will close the gap,” said Chris Cline, Incident Commander for ODF Team 2.
Fire weather forecasters predict today will not be as hot and dry as yesterday, however fire conditions are still extreme. As long as the inversion remains above the fire, fire activity will be low and smoke will persist. Crews will continue to patrol the fireline and mop-up any hot spots.
A Level 2 Evacuation notice (Get Set) remains in place for residents on Upper Cow Creek Road east of Devils Flat to the end of the road. This precautionary measure is because of high temperatures and low humidities that may cause increased fire behavior. The Stouts Creek Fire is 74% contained and still has the potential for rapid growth. A contingency plan to protect structures on Upper Cow Creek has been put into place and will be activated if needed. Evacuation levels for all other areas remain unchanged.
Even though personnel and equipment are needed on other fires, fire managers are keeping the resources required to meet the goals of fire containment and resource protection.
The Stouts Creek Fire has been managed under unified command by Oregon Department of Forestry Team 2 Incident Commander Chris Cline and Forest Service Incident Commander Mike Wilde, since August 13.
The fire has burned 25,324 acres and is 74% contained. There are 1,010 personnel assigned to the fire with 17 crews, 22 engines, 25 water tenders, 14 bulldozers and eight helicopters.
To date, the Stout Creek Fire has cost $31.4 million. The Incident Management Team is protecting lands that are about 48% on state protected lands, which include BLM and private lands and 52% on the Umpqua National Forest.
