Slater and Devil Fires Update, Saturday, September 19, 2020

Slater and Devil Fires Update
Saturday, September 19, 2020; 9:00 AM

Fire origin: September 7 ,2020

Fire Information: (503) 324-2528 Hours: 8am – 8pm

Media Information: (541) 249-5117 Hours: 8am – 8pm

Email: Slaterfirenorth.information@gmail.com

Websites: Inciweb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7173/

Facebook: Klamath National Forest Facebook Page, Six Rivers National Forest Facebook Page, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Facebook Page www.facebook.com/SlaterAndDevilFireInformation

Weather: The front moving through the fire area brought cooler temperatures. Scattered showers over the fire area provided little measurable precipitation.

Evacuations:

Josephine County Sheriff’s Office reduced the following Level 3 “GO” Evacuation Zone to a Level 2 “BE SET” status: the area along US Hwy 199 from Gene Brown Rd to 37265 Redwood Hwy. This includes Gene Brown Rd, Arrowhead Dr, and Leuizenger Ck/NF-9938 Rd.  Addresses greater than 37265 Redwood Hwy will remain in a Level 3 “GO” evacuation status. As a reminder, if weather or fire behavior changes, the evacuation level could be raised to Level 3 “GO.”

Evacuation order/warning info and other resources for Josephine County can be found by calling 541-474-5305 (8am-8pm) or online at: www.facebook.com/josephinecountyEM, www.co.josephine.or.us/fire, or

www.rvem.org

Current evacuation orders are posted on Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SiskiyouCountySheriff/.

For Del Norte County evacuation information, see www.facebook.com/DelNorteOfficeOfEmergencyServices and www.preparedelnorte.com/

Closures: The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region has extended the Regional Order temporarily closing some national forests in California – nine remain closed, including the Six Rivers and Klamath (including the portion in Oregon) national forests. This decision will continue to be reviewed daily with evolving fire and weather conditions. The entire region is also under emergency fire restrictions.

Due to public safety concerns associated with fire danger and fire activity, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (RRSNF) has temporarily closed the Wild Rivers Range District and Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District. Closure orders and maps are available on the RRSNF website at www.fs.usda/gov/alerts/rogue-siskiyou/alerts-notices 

The Bureau of Land Management Medford District has temporarily closed all Bureau of Land Management-administered public lands south of Grants Pass, Interstate 5, and U.S. Route 199 to the border of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Maps of the closure areas are available on the Bureau of Land Management’s website: www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions.

Summary:

Slater Fire: The cooler temperatures assisted crews in implementing direct and indirect fire strategies. A helicopter worked on the north area of the fire west of Hwy 199, near the California/Oregon border dropping water on fire activity outside of the existing dozer line. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s (OSFM) Task Forces assisted wildland crews with burn operations, provided necessary support along the fire edge, and completed protection measures at Oregon Caves National Monument by installing sprinklers, hose lines and portable water tanks. Most of the initial attack fire response resources on the Wild Rivers Ranger District remain assigned to the Slater Fire to assist out of area resources, including two task force leaders, six engines, three crews, a water tender, a wildland fire module and a dozer.

The break in the weather allowed South Zone crews to assess the fires by aircraft yesterday. They reported seeing very little smoke within the interior of the fire area, and little to no heat on the western edge of the Slater Fire from Hwy 96 north to Kelly Lake. The Hwy 96 corridor has been secured, and crews will work today to chip and remove brush cut during suppression. Traffic control on Hwy 96 is expected to remain in place, and motorists should continue to expect 45-minute delays. On the eastern side of the fire, crews are planning to contain the Slater Fire along the Thompson Creek Rd, on the west side of the Thompson Creek drainage.

In the Gasquet (California) portion of the Slater Fire, firefighters held the fire at the Knopki Rd to protect the town of Gasquet. They will work to complete operations to secure the fire edge at the intersection of Hwy 199 and Knopki Rd. Structure protection activity continues from Knopki Rd to the town of Gasquet.

Devil Fire: Resources are engaging the fire as it wants to spread toward Applegate Lake. The southeast side of the Devil Fire is now lined and secure, with the crews using the Pacific Crest Trail as a containment line on the east. The Devil Fire is still generating some heat along its west side and southwest corner, but the Tahoe Hotshots were able to find the cold edge of that fire and build direct line to cut off its southward progress and herd it towards Fort Goff Creek, away from homes in and around Seiad Valley and Hwy 96. The Grayback Rd is still closed to the public for hazard tree removal and power pole repair. The Devil Fire has one Type 2 initial attack crew, is currently at 7,144 acres and is 7% contained.

Printable PDF of todays Update can be found here

Printable PDF of todays Map can be found here

   

Fire Vocabulary of the Day- Initial Attack: The actions taken by the first resources to arrive at a wildfire to protect lives and property, and prevent further extension of the fire. 

The number of resources sent on the first dispatch to a wildfire depends upon the location of the fire, the fuels in the area (vegetation, timber, homes, etc) and current weather conditions. ... Most fires are caught within the first burn period (the first two hours).