JACKSON & JOSEPHINE COUNTIES, Ore. (Aug. 20, 2022) – Of the 54 fires ignited by Wednesday evening’s thunderstorm, the vast majority are extinguished. The Rum Creek Fire is currently posing the most challenges for firefighters, located north of Galice. Resources remain dedicated to the Westside Complex in Jackson County and the Lightning Gulch Complex in Josephine County. In all, over 800 firefighters are assigned to the two complexes, made up of 40 hand crews, 23 engines, 4 dozers and 8 helicopters.
The Rum Creek Fire, which is part of the Lightning Gulch Complex, is an estimated 75 acres. With terrain described by some firefighters as a mini-Grand Canyon, gaining access to corral the fire has remained the toughest test. Equipment operators were able to establish a dozer line at the top of the fire, where hand crews are working to tie into. Nearly 200 firefighters will continue to establish control lines along the fire’s perimeter while aircraft work to keep the edges cool in efforts to slow the fire’s spread. A Type 2 Incident Management Team has been ordered to alleviate pressure on local crews and free up resources for any new fire starts that may pop up. The team will arrive this afternoon for an in-brief and is expected to take command Sunday morning. The Hog Creek Fire, located north of Merlin, is completely lined and is holding at 26 acres. About 100 firefighters will focus on mop-up today under favorable weather conditions.
In Jackson County, fires within the Westside Complex are also fairing well. The Ladybug and Keeler fires are the two largest in the complex estimated at 80 and 60 acres respectively. Today’s goals are to line both fires this afternoon and begin mop-up operations. The Tallowbox Fire is 25 acres and is 90 percent lined.
No homes are threatened, and no evacuation orders have been placed. Please be aware of any potential changes and follow Jackson County Emergency Management, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Josephine County Emergency Management and the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office for any evacuation information.
The Bureau of Land Management has closed the Rainie Falls Trail until further notice. Please help us protect firefighters and first responders by avoiding Galice Road and the Grave Creek area. The BLM is encouraging recreational boaters to avoid the river between Hellgate Canyon and Grave Creek.
Fire information is always available on our Facebook page @ODF Southwest Oregon District.