ODF Grants Pass Unit firefighters chased a wildfire Monday afternoon through a tangle of trees, brush and houses in southern Josephine County [ map ]. The 48-acre blaze was reported at 4:00 p.m. and was located less than a mile west of O’Brien, a community 8 miles south of Cave Junction. No homes burned in the fire, but a garage, a pump house and another outbuilding were destroyed.
A dog was killed, too.
A roadblock on Lone Mountain Rd. kept non-fire traffic out of the residential area until late into the night. The fire scene was packed with fire engines, water tenders, bulldozers and law enforcement vehicles. Structural fire engines from Jackson and Josephine counties, mobilized as a structural task force, protected the homes while engines and crews from the Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service kept the wildfire in check.
Two helicopters and two airtankers dropped water and retardant on the fire during the daylight hours.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
About That Smoke On The Southern Horizon ...
The Oregon and California (ORCA) Interagency Incident Management Team (IMT) has been mobilized to assist the Klamath National Forest to manage fire suppression activities on the Red Rock and Harrington Fires.
The Red Rock Fire is burning within the Marble Mountain Wilderness south of the Lover’s Camp Trailhead in the Red Rock watershed. It is currently estimated at 701 acres in size and became quite active Friday afternoon during a wind event which generated smoke that could be seen from the Medford/Rogue River Valley area. This fire was started in early June as a prescribed fire to reduce heavy fuels and restore meadow systems and wildlife habitat within the Wilderness. Unexpected winds and very hot and dry conditions gave fire managers challenges which exceeded local fire-suppression capabilities. No private lands or structures are immediately threatened, but the Klamath National Forest called in additional resources and the ORCA IMT to manage the fire. The ORCA IMT assumed command yesterday at 06:00 a.m.
The Harrington Fire was started by lightning on August 2 and is burning in the Siskiyou Wilderness, east of Harrington Mountain. It is estimated at 150 acres and is not threatening any private lands or structures. Since the fire behavior has increased due to the hot and dry conditions, the Klamath National Forest has requested that the ORCA IMT also manage this fire by providing logistical and fire-suppression support.
For more information, call (541) 941-9131, or send an e-mail to the ORCA fire information officer.
The Red Rock Fire is burning within the Marble Mountain Wilderness south of the Lover’s Camp Trailhead in the Red Rock watershed. It is currently estimated at 701 acres in size and became quite active Friday afternoon during a wind event which generated smoke that could be seen from the Medford/Rogue River Valley area. This fire was started in early June as a prescribed fire to reduce heavy fuels and restore meadow systems and wildlife habitat within the Wilderness. Unexpected winds and very hot and dry conditions gave fire managers challenges which exceeded local fire-suppression capabilities. No private lands or structures are immediately threatened, but the Klamath National Forest called in additional resources and the ORCA IMT to manage the fire. The ORCA IMT assumed command yesterday at 06:00 a.m.
The Harrington Fire was started by lightning on August 2 and is burning in the Siskiyou Wilderness, east of Harrington Mountain. It is estimated at 150 acres and is not threatening any private lands or structures. Since the fire behavior has increased due to the hot and dry conditions, the Klamath National Forest has requested that the ORCA IMT also manage this fire by providing logistical and fire-suppression support.
For more information, call (541) 941-9131, or send an e-mail to the ORCA fire information officer.
Let's Be Careful Out There
Rogue Valley fire managers remind the public that they have a role to play in preventing wildfires. The recent series of over 130 lightning-caused fires across Jackson and Josephine Counties were aggressively suppressed by firefighters managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and U.S. Forest Service, but fire danger remains extreme, and public use restrictions are in effect throughout the region.
“We’re seeking the public’s assistance by following the fire restrictions put in effect to protect our communities and natural resources,” said Dan Thorpe, ODF’s Southwest Oregon District Forester.
“The moisture that helped keep the fires started by the recent thunderstorms small is now gone,” explained M.J. Harvie, Fire and Aviation Staff Officer, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. “Right now we are urging the public to be careful with all flammable material, and make sure they build campfires only in designated campgrounds. When extinguishing a campfire, forest visitors need to ensure that they drown out all embers to leave their campfire dead out,” said Harvie.
“As a reminder, please check on current fire restrictions before you leave by calling or visiting one of the offices of your local wildland fire agencies,” said Harvie. Currently firewood cutting is prohibited on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
Indices composed of temperature, humidity, fuel moisture, and wind speed and direction used by fire managers to forecast burning conditions are now approaching levels indicative of the potential for large fires to occur in the area. With little threat of lightning in the forecast, human-sparked ignitions remain a cause for concern.
Use these links for public use restrictions in place for lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
“We’re seeking the public’s assistance by following the fire restrictions put in effect to protect our communities and natural resources,” said Dan Thorpe, ODF’s Southwest Oregon District Forester.
“The moisture that helped keep the fires started by the recent thunderstorms small is now gone,” explained M.J. Harvie, Fire and Aviation Staff Officer, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. “Right now we are urging the public to be careful with all flammable material, and make sure they build campfires only in designated campgrounds. When extinguishing a campfire, forest visitors need to ensure that they drown out all embers to leave their campfire dead out,” said Harvie.
“As a reminder, please check on current fire restrictions before you leave by calling or visiting one of the offices of your local wildland fire agencies,” said Harvie. Currently firewood cutting is prohibited on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
Indices composed of temperature, humidity, fuel moisture, and wind speed and direction used by fire managers to forecast burning conditions are now approaching levels indicative of the potential for large fires to occur in the area. With little threat of lightning in the forecast, human-sparked ignitions remain a cause for concern.
Use these links for public use restrictions in place for lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
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