JACKSON & JOSEPHINE COUNTIES, Ore. (August 4, 2021) – Firefighters working the Buck Rock and Round Top Fires on the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Southwest Oregon District are continuing to make good progress on strengthening fire lines. The Buck Rock Fire, located 5 miles north of Trail, remains 17 acres, and the Round Top Fire, located 10 miles northwest of Shady Cove, is still 23 acres.
Mop-up efforts continued Wednesday on both fires, as crews work from the perimeter moving inward, extinguishing smokes and smoldering areas. Overnight, this will continue to be the focus of firefighters assigned to these incidents. Hazardous trees on both fires have been a safety concern, which has slowed down crews. Steep terrain is also an added challenge on these fires.
ODF Southwest, along with the U.S. Forest Service Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, is continuing to provide resources to fires burning in southern Douglas County on Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) protected land and the Umpqua National Forest. ODF will continue to assist on these active incidents. Information on these specific fires can be found on https://www.facebook.com/skylineridgecomplex/, https://www.facebook.com/DouglasForestProtectiveAssociation and https://www.facebook.com/UmpquaNationalForest.
Weather conditions Thursday could increase fire activity, including strong winds and a slight potential for thunderstorms. A Red Flag Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service from 12 – 10 p.m. on Thursday due to these factors. Firefighters will take this into account on the line, as it may impact fire behavior.
Smoke from multiple fires in Douglas County are causing smoke to settle across Jackson and Josephine counties; smoke information is available on https://fire.airnow.gov/ and https://airquality.weather.gov/sectors/pacnorthwest.php.
Additional information about fire season is also available online on our website, www.swofire.com, our Facebook page, @ODFSouthwest and our Twitter account, @swofire.