Sunday, September 20, 2020; 9:00 AM
Fire origin: September 7 ,2020
Fire Information: (530) 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
Summary:
Slater Fire:
North Zone: Yesterday, additional scouting was performed to identify opportunities to secure the edge of the fire in the Talkilma area. For today, warmer temperatures and lower humidity will cause fuels to dry out and an increase in wind blowing toward the north and northwest can be expected. Resources will be conducting direct fire suppression activities on the north to northwest perimeter of the fire. Crews continue developing strategies to minimize the footprint of the fire’s edge, especially focusing in the northern perimeter of the fire to protect property at risk. Smoke may become more visible as crews perform burnout operations to consume unburned fuel between the fire line and the fire’s edge. To secure the western side of the fire, dozers will be used to establish indirect fire line. Yesterday Hwy 199 was reopened to through traffic in both California and Oregon. Firefighters are still working near the highway and motorists should expect delays of up to 20 minutes.
Firefighting efforts in the South Zone of the Slater Fire today will be focused on clearing hazard trees up the Grayback Road and attempting ignition (dependent on conditions) to contain the fire along the Thompson Creek Road and north along the Slater Fire’s edge. Firefighters continue to monitor the Devil Fire as it backs into the Goff Creek drainage. The structures near both Goff Creek and Thompson Creek are well protected, and fire behavior in the drainages continues to be fairly minimal. Crews have secured the south and east sides of the Devil Fire. Crews placed fire hose along the line they built behind residences on Seiad Creek Road as a contingency line. Highway 96 is now open with no restrictions, but motorists are advised to drive slowly as firefighters and equipment are still working off of the highway. Yesterday, northerly winds blew smoke across the Slater Fire area, settling it back into the Happy Camp area. Winds are expected to shift to the southeast today, which should help with air quality. The Slater Fire is now estimated at 146,698 acres and 18 % contained.
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. South Zone
Devil Fire: Resources are engaging the fire as it wants to spread toward Applegate Lake moves in a northeast
direction. 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 18% contained. Weather: Winds are forecasted to be WNW at 6 with gusts up to 12mph. humidity in the midafternoon will be around 20% with warm seasonal weather with temperatures in the high 70’s continuing into Monday. 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 with US Hwy 199 has been reopened to through traffic. 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: 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 many areas of public lands to support fire suppression efforts and to prevent new starts. Maps of the closure areas are available on the Bureau of Land Management's website: 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. A Wildfire Information Center has been established by the Bureau of Land Management Medford District, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and the Oregon Department of Forestry. The center’s mission is to answer questions and provide information about fire conditions across SW Oregon, public lands closures and public use fire restrictions. A call center is available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. seven-days a week at (458) 206-3043. |
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