JACKSON & JOSEPHINE COUNTIES, Ore. (August 2, 2021) – Firefighters across the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Southwest Oregon District continued to hold fire lines and make progress fires across the district. To date, 59 fires have been caused by lightning since Sunday night; of those, 11 fires are still active. The rest are extinguished and in patrol status.
The majority of these fires are located in high elevations on steep terrain, creating additional challenges and safety concerns for firefighters. These factors, along with multiple incidents across the district are slowing down typical containment times, however firefighters are continuing to make slow, steady progress on each incident; this is the best case scenario for as many incidents are active at the same time, with limited resources available.
The following fires are the largest and most active across the district:
- The Buck Rock Fire, located 5 miles north of Trail. It’s currently estimated to be 7 acres, 60% lined and 5% contained. Fire activity increased in the heat on Monday, and a spot fire was discovered up the hill of the main body of the fire. Through multiple helicopter water bucket drops, the spot fire was put out. Overnight, a 20-person hand crew, four engines and a water tender will remain on scene; these resources have a goal of lining the fire 100% by the morning shift change.
- The Round Top Fire, located 10 miles northwest of Shady Cove. This fire is putting off a large amount of smoke, however it’s only estimated to be between 15-17 acres, and 75% lined. Fire activity increased during the day; Large Air Tanker (LAT) 103 and two Single Engine Air Tankers (SEAT’s) were able to do several retardant drops to help secure temporary lines in order to allow firefighters to reinforce them. Overnight, four engines and a water tender will remain on scene. Additional resources will replace them in the morning.
- The North Fork Anderson Creek Fire, located on Anderson Butte near Talent. It’s estimated to be 2 acres. It’s currently 100% lined and 30% contained. Steep terrain is slowing firefighters down on this incident, however lines are holding. Overnight, two engines will continue mop-up work, with additional resources replacing them in the morning.
Smoke from wildfires burning in Northern California was heavily present in Jackson and Josephine Counties today. Dispatch centers across the area received multiple calls regarding the hazy air; general smoke information can be found online at https://fire.airnow.gov/.
While firefighters are making excellent progress on multiple incidents, additional fires from this storm may continue to be found in the coming days and weeks. Please report fires by calling 911.
Additional information about fire season is also available online on our website, www.swofire.com, our Facebook page, @ODFSouthwest and our Twitter account, @swofire.