Update for Sept. 13, 2020, morning
Incident Commander: CAIIMT10, Dalrymple
HAPPY CAMP, CALIFORNIA — The Slater Fire continues to slowly spread in all directions, moderated by cool, moist weather in low-lying areas. The Devil Fire remains unstaffed, but Team 10 is scouting containment opportunities. Additional firefighting resources are on order.
North side: A virtual public meeting will be held today, September 13, 2020 at 2:30 p.m.
Slater Fire North Area Virtual Community Meeting
Facebook Live www.facebook.com/SlaterAndDevilFireInformation
South side: A virtual meeting public will be held today, September 13, 2020 at 4 p.m.
Slater Fire South Area Virtual Community Meeting
Facebook Live www.facebook.com/SlaterAndDevilFireInformation
Fire activity around Happy Camp has now significantly moderated, with humidity damping down fire activity along the fire perimeter there. The town remains in mop-up and patrol status, with crews falling hazard trees and power companies working diligently to restore infrastructure so that displaced residents can return as soon as it’s safe.
The Slater Fire has now backed down to Highway 96 near Seattle Creek, where firefighters have built handline to limit fire growth potential and keep the fire north of the highway. A firing operation is planned to strengthen an indirect line protecting residences north of Happy Camp along the Highway 96 corridor, creating a solid containment line along the highway. Meanwhile, protection is underway around structures and utilities from Thompson Creek east (and downriver) to Fort Goff. Firefighters are also performing prep work from China Creek to Thompson Creek in case the fire arrives there.
Near Gasquet, crews focused on structure protection and scouting for areas to engage. The fire is currently hung up at Oregon Mountain Road and backing into Knopki Creek, with not much movement observed on the SW edge. A local crew, the Smith River Hotshots, have been assigned to the Slater Fire.
Along the west side of the fire, Siskiyou Mountain Ranger District initial attack firefighting resources have begun to prep the 1040 road in the event that the Devil Fire should work its way out of the Red Buttes Wilderness. Portions of the 1040 road were treated in 2017 during the Miller Complex. Along with increased humidity, the Miller Complex Fire scar should slow or stop fire spread towards the Applegate Valley. The Slater fire has not made it into Steve’s Fork; fire personnel scouted the area several days ago and completed a full reconnaissance before the smoke settled in. The Slater Fire is currently eight to ten miles from Williams, Oregon. Firefighting resources are scouting for the best places to put in direct, indirect and contingency lines to protect communities in this area. Firefighters are preparing Oregon Caves National Monument to protect it from the Slater Fire.
Winds out of the east have caused smoke impacts from the Slater and Devil Fires that have extended to the coast. Smoke continues to impact most of the west coast due to multiple large fires. The cool, wet smoke inversion is likely to remain into this afternoon, forecasts say. The inversion could begin mixing up into the atmosphere later this afternoon or tomorrow. Meanwhile, winds today are blowing 15 miles per hour on ridgetops. This could affect fire behavior at higher elevations in the Slater Fire’s interior and on the Devil Fire.
Both fires are still zero percent contained, burning mainly in timber, logging slash and brush. The Devil Fire is estimated at 4,149 acres. The Slater Fire is estimated at 126,333 acres, according to last night’s infrared flight.
Due to extreme fire danger, all National Forests in California have been closed from September 9 through 14, 2020. More details on these closure orders, along with fire restrictions orders, can be found on National Forest websites and on InciWeb. Highway 199 remains closed from O’Brien south almost to Gasquet. Highway 96 remains closed from Portuguese Creek to Clear Creek.
EVACUATION INFORMATION:
- Current evacuation orders are posted on Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SiskiyouCountySheriff/.
- For Del Norte County evacuation information, see www.facebook.com/DelNorteOfficeOfEmergencyServices.
- Evacuation order/warning info and other resources for Josephine County can be found by calling Josephine County Fire Information Center 541-474-5305 (7am-10pm) or online at: https://www.facebook.com/josephinecountyEMhttps://www.co.josephine.or.us/firewww.rvem.org