August 27, 2017, 9:00 a.m.

Umpqua North Complex Update

Fire Information Line (541) 378-6944 [email protected] Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Recorded Information: (855) 419-2349 Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5505/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UmpquaNationalForest/ Incident: During the week of Aug. 9, lightning started dozens of fires across the northern Umpqua National Forest, along both sides of Highway 138 East, east of Roseburg in Douglas County, Oregon. There are currently 13 active fires in the complex. Incident Command: Unified Command – Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team; Tom Kurth, Incident Commander, Douglas Forest Protective Association; Dan Thorpe, Incident Commander. Current Size: 14,817 acres estimated total of complex based on an infrared flight on August 25. Containment: 7% Current Resources: Crews: 24; Helicopters: 3; Engines: 73; Dozers: 13; Water Tenders: 19; Masticators: 7; Skidgens: 5; Total Personnel: 1,054. Hunters – Know Before You Go: With bow hunting season for deer and elk now open, hunters are reminded to check for closures in the Umpqua National Forest before heading into the field for their own safety. Firefighters have encountered hunters in closed areas on the south end of the fire, which poses a risk to both firefighters and hunters. Fire managers are working with law enforcement officers to increase patrols in closed areas. Current Situation: As predicted, fire activity intensified Saturday afternoon as the temperature climbed into the high 80s and relative humidities dropped into the lower to mid 20 percent range. The hotter, drier conditions provided the conditions for firefighters to conduct strategic firing operations on portions of the Fall Creek, Ragged Ridge and Happy Dog fires to extend and strengthen containment lines. Crews used hand ignitions to burn from west to east on the south end of the Fall Creek Fire to deepen the containment line. The burnout operation continued into the evening and firefighters will work today to keep the burned areas in check while continuing burn operations to extend control lines. On the Happy Dog Fire burning north and south of Highway 138 East, active fire in the bottom of the Dry Creek drainage prompted a burnout operation aimed at keeping the fire west of Forest Road 4760. Firing operations were also conducted on the west side of both the Happy Dog and Ragged Ridge fires to keep the fire south and east of Forest Road 38. Crews continue to brush out Forest Road 38 to use as a potential control line, if

necessary. Firefighters today will continue to prep the road and conduct further firing operations if the weather cooperates. On the south side of Highway 138 East, the Happy Dog Fire is holding south of Illahee Flats and west of Forest Road 28. The fire is backing down a ridge toward the road and crews are working to open up the PacificCorp Energy powerline corridor to use as a contingency line in the event the fire crosses Forest Road 28. On the Brokentooth and Devil fires, firefighters continue working to build indirect containment and contingency lines by hand and with heavy equipment. Firefighters are utilizing forest roads, trails, ridges and previously used dozer lines constructed for past fires to steer fires away from values at risk. Steep terrain, hazard trees and rollout remain major safety concerns and are limiting access for firefighters, which in turn hampers suppression and containment efforts. As always, fire managers are evaluating any tactical operations based on their probability of success versus risk to firefighters. Weather Conditions: The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning from 1 to 9 p.m. on Sunday. A Red Flag Warning means weather conditions will align to create potential for extreme fire behavior. Temperatures will rise into the mid to high 90s with afternoon humidities in the mid-teens. Similar conditions are forecast for Monday and Tuesday, which are expected to increase fire activity and test control lines. Closure Notices: Highway 138 East from Mile Markers 43 to 54 is closed due to concerns with falling debris and fire activity. Road shoulders and pullouts between Mile Markers 31 to 35 of the highway are also closed to provide for public and firefighter safety. For the latest road closure information, call the Oregon Department of Transportation at 511 or go to https://tripcheck.com/Pages/RCMap.asp# .

The Umpqua National Forest remains closed in areas of the North Umpqua and Diamond Lake Ranger Districts. The North Umpqua River remains closed from Boulder Flat Raft Launch to Susan Creek Campground to boaters and anglers due to falling trees and rolling debris except for a short stretch of river near the Steamboat Inn that is open for fishing opportunities. For more information on forest closures see Public Notices at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/Umpqua/alertsnotices. Evacuation Notices: No changes from Sunday August 20, 2017 Level 1 Evacuation Notice – “Get Ready” (threat in the area) – the Clearwater area, along Highway 138 East from Mile Marker 53 to Mile Marker 61, the Susan Creek residential area and the BLM Susan Creek Campground, HWY 138 E from Mile Marker 28 east to the Forest Service/BLM. Level 2 Evacuation Notice – “Get Set” (threat is increasing) – Moore Hill Lane. Level 3 Evacuation Notice – “Go” (threat is imminent) – Dry Creek and Illahee areas. Flight Restrictions: The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) that was modified Monday, August 22 for the fire complex remains in place. Pilots looking for additional information on the TFR go to http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html. The objective is to provide a safe environment for firefighting aircraft operations. The public is reminded that it is illegal to operate drones within a TFR.