Hugo Road Fire AM Update 09/03/18

September 3, 2018

QuickFacts:
Incident Start Date: 09/02/2018
Incident Start Time: Approx. 7:15 p.m.
Incident Type: Wildfire
Cause: Under Investigation
Incident Location: Hugo, which is roughly ten miles north-northwest of Grants Pass in Josephine County, Oregon
Land Threat: Private
Command Agency: ODF
Fire Size: 250 acres
Containment: 15%

Current Situation:

Local wildland and structure firefighters made substantial progress on the Hugo Road Fire overnight, lining most of the perimeter within a few short hours. Crews have been fighting the fire since it started Sunday night in Hugo, 10 miles north-northwest of Grants Pass on the west side of I-5.

Firefighters faced many challenges overnight, including a reported cougar sighting in the area. Live power lines also caused concern as crews worked nearby. However, evening conditions helped crews gain the upper hand on the fire.

Meteorologists are predicting temperatures into the 80’s, and potentially up to the 90’s, with wind gusts as high as 30 miles per hour on ridges. These conditions pose a challenge to fire crews, along with steep terrain, extreme fire behavior, and dry fuels.

Today is a critical day on the fire; crews are focused on holding the progress made overnight, and continuing to build and strengthen the fire line currently surrounding the perimeter of the fire. Currently, there is a combination of hose lays and dozer line surrounding 80 percent of the fire. Air tankers and helicopters will be available as soon as this morning’s inversion lifts in order to help minimize fire activity for firefighters on the ground. Safety of the firefighters and the public is a top priority.

Multiple structures remain threatened. While we anticipate damages, or impacts to some structures due to last night’s fire activity, we have not yet confirmed an exact number. Today, local fire districts alongside our partners at the State Fire Marshal’s Office will be conducting assessments on properties in and surrounding the fire’s perimeter in order to make a concrete determination of damages.

Josephine County Sheriff’s Office has issued Level 3 “GO” and Level 2 “BE SET” evacuation notices for homes surrounding the fire. Residents in these areas should have received a Citizen Alert call notifying them of the evacuations. If you have not signed up for Josephine County Citizen’s Alert, Josephine County’s emergency notification system, you can sign up on line at www.rvem.org.

For those under evacuation notices, a human and animal shelter has been established at the Josephine County Fairgrounds by the American Red Cross and Josephine County Public Health.

For more information, call the Fire Information Line at 541-474-5305.

Evacuations:

Level 3 “GO” evacuation notices have been issued to the following residences:
Oxyoke Road from Three Pines Road to Hugo Road, Hugo Road from Oxyoke Road to Three Pines Road, Three Pines Road from Hugo Road to Oxyoke Road, Monterico and all secondary roads off of Monterico, Hitching Post Road, Hasis Road, Trevor Lane, Dakota Lane, Templin Avenue and Wilson Lane.

Level 2 “BE SET” evacuation notices have been issued to the following residences:
Three Pines Road to Monument Drive.
Monument Drive to the Interstate 5 at Milepost 66 interchange.

A human shelter and animal shelter has been established at the Josephine County Fairgrounds by the American Red Cross and Josephine County Public Health.

For additional information regarding evacuations, please contact the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office.

Assigned Resources:
Engines: 12
Water Tenders: 5
Helicopters: As needed
Hand Crews: 10
Dozers: 5
Total Personnel: 138
Air Tankers: As needed

Cooperating Agencies:
ODF Southwest Oregon District, Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, Rogue Valley Fire Chiefs Association, Rural Metro Fire – Josephine County, Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, Illinois Valley Fire District, Applegate Valley Fire District, Rogue River Fire District, Ashland Fire & Rescue, Medford Fire-Rescue, Jackson County Fire District #5 IAFF Local 2596, Jackson County Fire District 4, Fire District 3, Josephine County Emergency Management, Josephine County Sheriff’s Office, and American Red Cross.

Hugo Road Fire Update PM 09/02/18

September 2, 2018

Firefighters are working hard to slow the forward progress of the #HugoRoadFire in Hugo, burning west of Interstate 5 near exit 66.

A grass fire was called in at approximately 7:15 this evening and is anticipated to have grown to 150 acres within just a few hours. Firefighters from multiple agencies, helicopters, and air tankers were able to attack this fire aggressively from the start. However, aerial resources had to be grounded when the sun went down.

Tonight, we have five dozers, six hand crews, 10 engines and multiple water tenders fighting the fire. Firefighters are hoping to completely line the fire tonight and keep the fire in check tomorrow. Crews are facing extreme fire behavior, wind gusts, steep terrain, and dry fuels throughout the entire area of the fire.

In addition, nineteen engines are working specifically on protecting and defending homes. Structures remain threatened.

Right now, evacuations are being issued. All that are in a Level 3 “Go” evacuation area have already been notified by law enforcement, or have received a Citizen Alert notification. Additional Level 2 “Be Set” and Level 1 “Be Ready” will be issued shortly. Please monitor the Josephine County Emergency Management Page for additional details. We will also share those updates here as soon as they are announced.

A shelter has been established for people and animals at the Josephine County Fairgrounds. Anyone needing assistance can call Southern Oregon Emergency Aide at 541-226-1124.

The cause remains under investigation.

Partners involved include ODF Southwest Oregon District, Rural Metro Fire – Josephine County, Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, Applegate Valley Fire District, Illinois Valley Fire District, Rogue River Fire District, Ashland Fire & Rescue, Medford Fire-Rescue, Jackson County Fire District #5 IAFF Local 2596, Jackson County Fire District 4, Fire District 3, Josephine County Emergency Management, Josephine County Sheriff’s Office, and American Red Cross.

Please keep in mind that this incident is quickly evolving, and all firefighters are doing everything they can to catch this fire overnight. We anticipate having a clearer picture of the situation by morning.