QUICK FACTS:

Size: 8,886 acres
Change in last 24 hrs. 0 acres
Containment: 68%
Start Date/Time: 7/15/2018 9:00 a.m.
Expected Containment Date: 8/7/18
Location: Josephine County
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 1,872
Assigned Resources:
Handcrews: 48
Engines: 45
Dozers: 8
Water Tenders: 17
Assigned Aircraft: 4
Structure Task Forces: 0
Structures Threatend: 564
Injuries: 15
Evacuations: Level 1 & 2 in effect

ODF’s Incident Management Team 1 will be holding a public meeting at 6:00 pm Thursday August 2nd at Evans Valley Education & Community Center. The event will be held at 8205 East Evans Creek Rd in Rogue River. The management team encourages residents to attend to hear from fire officials about current fire status.

At this stage of the fire, crews are in full mop-up mode. Firefighters have mopped up at least 50 feet around the fire’s perimeter and up to 200 feet in some places. As crews push deeper into the interior of the fire they encounter more snags.

Snags pose a great safety risk to firefighters, and are often a topic in the daily safety briefing. Snags are dead, standing trees that may drop branches or fall without warning. Snags typically have a much lower fuel moistures than live, green trees. This means that burn more readily and smolder for longer periods.

The risk of injuries from snags increases during the night operational period when visibility is greatly reduced. To help avoid accidents caused by snags crews will identify and remove hazard trees. Areas deemed unsafe will be avoided.

The increase of reported firefighters injuries from this morning jumped from 8 to 15. Please note that this number now includes injuries that happened at the incident command post while the Oregon Department of Forestry had command of both the Taylor Creek and Grave Creek fire.

FIRE ACREAGES BY FIRE:
Grave Creek/Section 14/Ditch Creek 7,816
Pleasant Creek 836
Spencer Creek 228
King Mountain 6

For a printable copy of this update, click on the following link:
https://tinyurl.com/7-31-18eveningupdateGarnerCom

QUICK FACTS:

Size: 8,886 acres (No Taylor Creek)
Change in last 24 hrs. 0 acres
Containment: 65% – Garner Complex
Start Date/Time: 7/15/2018 9:00a.m.
Expected Containment Date: 8/7/18
Location: Josephine County
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 2,609
Assigned Resources:
Handcrews: 48
Engines: 45
Dozers: 8
Water Tenders: 17
Assigned Aircraft: 4
Structure Task Forces: 0
Structures Threatend: 564
Injuries: 8
Evacuations: Level 1 & 2 in effect

At the morning briefing for the Garner Complex, John Flannigan, Day Shift Operations Section Chief remarked, “Very impressive work so far, we need to keep making progress. With the potential for new fire starts to grow rapidly, crews have been notified that they have initial attack responsibility to help the local district.”

The north, east, and west sides of the fire are holding well and looking good. Fire crews are taking their time through the mop up process and insuring that areas are cool. The south end of the fire was the last place to have containment line put in and has more heat closer to control lines . Overnight, two crews used infrared cameras to detect residual heat. On the north side of the fire, they found isolated pockets of heat within 200 feet of the control lines. In other areas of the fire they found hotspots and flagged them for dayshift crews to suppress.
Air operations will be available at the helibase today when needed. Flights will be conducted throughout the day to monitor and look for areas that need support.

Overhead personnel are meeting with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to discuss a suppression repair plan. They will coordinate a plan to mitigate or eliminate environmental resource impacts caused by the fire suppression effort and rehab the area to as natural conditions as possible.

The Oregon Department of Forestry’s ODF Team 1 will continue to manage the fires in the complex until they are safe to turn back to the district.

For a printable, downloadable copy of this update please visit: https://tinyurl.com/7-31-18GarnerComplexAMupdate

The Taylor Creek Fire was active again today on the northeast side. The fire crossed primary containment lines and moved into the Galice Creek drainage, but the fire was still within secondary dozer lines. Crews overnight are working around the fire securing and holding the line.

With the Graves Creek Fire in good shape and largely in mop-up mode, two of the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s structure task force teams have been reassigned to work on the Taylor Fire.

Weather today was 3-5 degrees cooler than yesterday with higher humidity. Smoke from the Klondike Fire burning in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness helped to suppress temperatures. The increased smoke limited the use of aircraft for suppression efforts.

The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office issued Level-2 evacuation orders today. A Level-2 “Be Set” evacuation means you must be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. Information on evacuations is available from the Southern Oregon Joint Information Center (541-474-5305).

Starting tomorrow, two Type-1 Incident Management Teams will be taking command of the fires. The Pacific Northwest Team 2, Incident Management Team led by Chris Schulte will assume command of the Taylor Creek Fire at 6:00 a. m. tomorrow. The Oregon Department of Forestry Team 1 led by Joe Hessel will assume command at noon tomorrow of the Garner Complex which will include the Grave Creek Fire, the Pleasant Creek, Spencer Creek and King Mountain Fires. Fire management teams typically work 14-day assignments. Transition after a 14-day assignment is normal. Incoming teams are fully briefed and prepared before the transition is made final.

FIRE ACREAGES BY FIRE:
Taylor Creek – 22, 774
Pleasant Creek – 835
Grave Creek/Section 14/Ditch Creek – 7,817
Spencer Creek and King Mountain – 234

For a downloadable, printable version of this update, click here – https://tinyurl.com/ybm2m2g8

Smoke from the Klondike Fire cast shade over the Taylor Creek Fire on Saturday, providing some relief from high temperatures and lowered the active fire behavior. The Klondike Fire is burning in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness about 9 miles southwest of the Taylor Creek Fire.

Firefighters were able to hold and strengthen all Taylor Creek Fire lines, for the first time in several days. The weather trend will continue today, which means hot and dry conditions could stimulate the fire. However, smoke from the Klondike might provide some relief again today. Conditions remain difficult for firefighters because of steep topography coupled with the weather conditions.

On the Grave Creek Fire, on the east side of the complex, structure protection and mop-up work continues.

The Josephine County Sheriff’s Office continues to adjust evacuation orders. Mandatory evacuations ( Level 3—GO!) have expanded. More than 1,000 people are now subject to the evacuation orders. Information on evacuations is available from the Southern Oregon Joint Information Center (541-474-5305).

The Bureau of Land Management today issued a closure order for recreation areas along portions of the Rogue River. The order does not affect river operations, however access to the river is limited in the closed area. Information is available from http//www.blm.gov/or/districts/medford/newsroom/index.php.
(Dowloadable link here –
https://tinyurl.com/BLMClosureAnnouncement7-28-18)

Management of the Garner Complex will be changing on Monday. The Oregon Department of Forestry IMT 2 is transitioning management of the fire to two incoming teams. The Taylor Creek Fire will be separated from the complex and designated as a separately managed fire. The Garner Complex will comprise the Grave Creek Fire and the Pleasant Creek, Spencer Creek and King Mountain Fires. Fire management teams typically work 14-day assignments. Transition after a 14-day assignment is normal. Incoming teams are fully briefed and prepared before the transition is made final.

FIRE ACREAGES BY FIRE:
Taylor Creek 22, 774
Pleasant Creek 835
Grave Creek/Section 14/Ditch Creek 7,817
Spencer Creek and King Mountain 234

For a downloadable, printable version of this update, click here –
https://tinyurl.com/GarnerComplexPMUpdate7-29