July 18, 2018
GARNER COMPLEX
#UPDATEMorning Update 7-18-18 – 8:30am
QUICK FACTS:
Size: 960 acres
Change in last 24 hrs. +700 acres
Containment: 2%
Start Date/Time: 7/15/2018 9:00a.m.
Expected Containment Date: unknown
Location: Josephine County
Cause: Lightning
Est. Cost: $750,000
Personnel: 542
Assigned Resources:
Handcrews: 18
Engines: 9
Dozers: 7
Water Tenders: 2
Assigned Aircraft: 8 helicopters
Yesterday afternoon and through the night fire crews scouted the 12 fires that make up the Garner complex. The crews are working to prioritize these fires. The plan is to fully contain the smaller fires, construct fireline around the larger ones, while continually looking for new unaccounted for fires.
The objectives today for the Grave Creek branch will be to keep the fires east of Grave Creek, north of Pease Springs and Buck Springs. For the Pleasant Creek fire, keep the fire west of Pleasant Creek and south of the 33-4-22 road. The objectives for the Spencer Creek branch are to keep fires east of 37-6-36 road, north of China Creek road, west of Water Gap road and south of 38-6-6 road.
John Pellissier, the day Operations Chief, said at the morning briefing to the fire crews “it is great to see you and we are still waiting for more help”. More fire fighters and equipment have been ordered and will be arriving to aid in the suppression efforts. With six incident management teams de-ployed to the region, resources (fire crews, air support & equipment) are scarce.
Weather forecasters predict hot and dry weather again today with gusty winds tonight. These conditions, along with low relative humidity, can cause very active fire behavior.
The Incident Command Post and fire camp is set up at the BLM Sprague Seed Orchard located at 1980 Russell Rd in Merlin.
There are several other fires in Jackson and Josephine Counties that we are working diligently to knock down and contain. Our air attack platform will be performing reconnaissance flights the entire day. As always, keeping our community safe is our priority.
Evacuations: No evacuations are currently in place.
Closures: Intersection of Murphy Cr. and Spencer Cr. Rd. The end of the County Maintenance at Upper Powell Cr. Rd. and Cedar Flat Rd.
Cooperating Agencies: Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Rogue Valley Fire Chiefs Association, U.S. Forest Service Rogue River-Siskiyou, Umpqua National Forest
To learn more about wildfire preparedness & fire restrictions please visit:
www.swofire.com
July 18, 2018
(CLARIFICATION — This is not the fire burning near Wagner Butte, but fires on ODF protected lands in Jackson and Josephine counties.)
Date: 7/18/2018 Time: 9:25 a.m.
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY
Incident Start Date: 7/15/2018
Incident Start Time: Approx. 9:00 a.m.
Incident Location: Jackson & Josephine counties
Land Threat: Private, BLM, Industrial
Wagner Creek Complex Sized: Approx. 250 acres Containment: 30%
Expected Full Containment: N/A
Lightning Strikes: Approx. 1,000 across the District Confirmed Wildfires on ODF SWO District: 75
Garner Complex Fire Information in Josephine County will be released separately by the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 2. The fires within the complex include: the Spencer Creek Fires, the Grave Creek Fires, and the Pleasant Creek Fire. The updates will still be shared on our @ODFSouthwest Facebook page and www.swofire.com.
Additional fires in Josephine County:
Swamp Creek: 16 miles north of Rogue River. Estimated at 5 acres. This fire is now part of the Grave Creek Series within the Garner Complex. Please see the Garner Complex update for additional information.
Little Grayback: 8 miles east of Cave Junction. The fire is 100% contained. This will be the last update of this fire; however, a new fire was located just to the south of the Little Grayback Fire. (Please see below).
Nelson: roughly 8 miles east of Cave Junction. Estimated at 3 acres. Firefighters are working on hand line construction. The perimeter line is currently 90% complete. We will be using resources today to knock down and eliminate interior heat. No structures are threatened.
Taylor Creek: 7 miles west of Merlin. Firefighters have been aggressively fighting this fire for more than 24 hours; however, it is still posing challenges due to difficult terrain, unfavorable weather conditions, and limited resources. The fire is estimated to be approximately 40 acres. Dozers, crews, and engines will be engaged building fire line today, alongside aerial resources. While there is one remote structure approximately one mile from the fire’s edge; no additional structures are threatened at this time, as the next nearest structures are miles away.
Fielder: North of MP 53 on I-5. 100% contained. This will be the final update of this fire.
Iron Mountain: Southwest to west of Murphy. Firefighters picked up two additional fires off Iron Mountain, the largest being approximately one acre. Both fires are 100% lined, and mop up will be continuing today. No structures are threatened.
Wagner Creek Complex in Jackson County:
Green Top Mountain: 5 miles northeast of Eagle Point. Still holding at 125 acres. Containment remains at 55%. Overnight, firefighters continued to mop up heavy timber, and will continue making more progress with knock down and mop up today. No structures are threatened.
Sterling Creek: 7 miles south of Jacksonville. Continue progress is being made, and the 32 acre fire is now 45% contained. Please note, smoke will be visible on the interior of the fire as suppression efforts and mop up continues over the next 48 hours. No structures threatened.
Trail Creek & Elk Creek Drainage: Multiple fires are burning in the area surrounding Cleveland Ridge, Elk Creek, and the Trail Creek area which is roughly 5.5 miles north to northwest of Shady Cove. There are approximately 12 confirmed fires on ODF-protected land within the drainage. The largest fire in this area is the 13-acre West Fork Trail Fire, which is now 80% contained Several additional fires continue to burn in the area, but all are being attacked aggressively and safely. All others are an acre or less in size. No structures threatened.
Railroad Gap: Mutual aid to Umpqua National Forest. Overnight, firefighters were able to wrap a hand line around the fire, and mapped it at 33 acres. Today firefighters will continue knocking down the interior. Smoke will be present. No structures are threatened.
There are several other fires in Jackson and Josephine Counties that we are working diligently to knock down and contain. Our air attack platform will be performing reconnaissance flights the entire day. As always, keeping our community safe is our priority.
Evacuations: No evacuations are currently in place.
Cooperating Agencies: Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Rogue Valley Fire Chiefs Association, U.S. Forest Service Rogue River-Siskiyou, Umpqua National Forest
To learn more about wildfire preparedness & fire restrictions please visit: www.swofire.com
