Southwest Oregon Wildfire Information Center

 

Slater and Devil Fires Update

Friday, October 2, 2020 7:30 a.m.

Fire origin: September 8, 2020

South Zone Slater/Devil Fire Info (530) 324-2528; 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

North Zone Slater Fire Info (503) 867-8593; 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

General Fire Info - Wildland Info Center: (458) 206-3043; 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Media Information: (541) 249-5117; 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Email: Slaterfirenorth.information@gmail.com

Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7173/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SlaterAndDevilFireInformation

 Summary:

Containment lines are continuing to hold on the Slater and Devil fires, and firefighters will continue patrol and mop-up efforts. As a collective, personnel dedicated to the fire are averaging 20,000 hours a day. The Slater Fire is now 50% contained, and the Devil Fire remains at 20%. The final nightshift concluded at midnight on Friday morning. The Northern Rockies National Incident Management Team Two will be transitioning out, and the Northwest Incident Management Team 7 will assume command as of 6:00 Saturday morning.

 Slater Fire:

The majority of containment lines on the Slater Fire are holding up well, and mop-up efforts will continue into Friday. On the east side, line in the Thompson Creek area remains strong, and progress will continue to be made into the weekend.

The south end of the fire will remain in patrol status. Fire lines have been holding in these areas over the past couple of days, and confidence is high that containment lines will remain strong.

On Thursday, firefighters were able to access a road on the west side of the fire, where access has previously been limited. With these new road systems, crews will be able to make significant progress on Friday in the interior, north of Idlewild. Fire lines in this area continue to hold strong.

On the northern flank, south of O’Brien, the fire is in patrol status and lines remain strong. Firefighters will begin to pull hose and equipment from this area to reallocate to other branches that are in need of resources.

To the east, hand line is holding near the 18 Road, and containment in this area is expected by Friday evening. Crews will also watch the Deadman’s Gulch area and work to secure lines. Preventative measures to protect Oregon Caves National Monument will conclude on Friday as well.

 In the interior of the fire, operations will continue on Grayback Road, and additional resources will be put in place. Steep slopes are present in this area, and firefighters will be on the lookout for any hazard trees. Air support is available and will be utilized if smoky conditions decrease. 

 Devil Fire: Containment lines on the Devil Fire are holding well, and fire activity is minimal. The west side has reached an area outside the Goff Fire Scar at the Red Butte Wilderness Valley, while the east flank has been holding on the ridgeline above the Pacific Crest Trail.

Weather: Relatively dry and smoky conditions are expected. A ridge of high pressure we’ve been under will shift east and allow onshore flow into the area to bring northwest winds to the ridgetops. Temperatures are predicted to be slightly cooler on Friday.

 Evacuations

There have been some evacuation changes; please refer to your local county’s Sheriff’s Office for details. County Sheriffs continue to work with fire leadership to determine when to modify evacuation levels.

Josephine County information: 541-474-5305 or www.facebook.com/josephinecountyEM, www.co.josephine.or.us/fire, or www.rvem.org

Siskiyou County information: (530) 841-2900 or www.facebook.com/SiskiyouCountySheriff/

Del Norte County information: (707) 464-7213 or www.facebook.com/DelNorteOfficeOfEmergencyServices  and www.preparedelnorte.com/

Closures: The USDA Forest Service-Pacific Southwest Region’s Order, that closed some national forests in California, has been lifted for the Six Rivers and Klamath national forests; however, new fire area closure orders have been issued by these forests for the Slater Fire in California. The region is under emergency fire restrictions, although the use of gas stoves is now allowed.

Portions of both the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest’s Wild Rivers Ranger District and Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District reopened for use.  Some areas remain closed for emergency crews’ safety and to allow for fire suppression and burned area recovery.  Find updated closure orders and maps at: www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/rogue-siskiyou/alerts-notices

The Bureau of Land Management Medford District has public lands closures in effect near the Slater Fire and the South Obenchain Fire. Closure area maps are available at: www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions 

Printable version of today's update can be found here

Printable version of today's map can be found here