Replies

Good report!

Stroll down to the fair grounds and talk to some the guys and gals firefighters to get a handle on what they will be doing.

I have a feeling as all the effort so far has been on the South and SE sides of the circle/oval that the Florence Fire is.

That means nothing has been done on the West and North ends of this big blaze. Fires will burn down hill to the Ocean or River if the winds come from off shore.

All that is needed is a couple of those Banana Belt Days for the Brookings/Gold Beach area with the hot dry air rushing down hill to the ocean to start one hell of a big fire to the west and then push it north to Agness.

PILOT NEWS ALERT:
THURSDAY EVENING FIRE UPDATE

Published: August 1, 2002

Dear readers:

No new alerts or evacuatios notices have been announced today.

Curry Coastal Pilot staff writer Brian Bullock spent Thursday at the West Florence Fire Camp in Gold Beach, and up the Rogue River at Agness and Oak Flat. Watch for his full report in Saturday's edition of the Curry Coastal Pilot. In the meantime, here are a few of his notes:

The Florence Fire has set a precedent for classification of wildland blazes. Weekend conditions which drove the fire so far north earned the blaze an "Advanced Extreme" designation. The previous range only went to "extreme."

Firefighters were using favorable conditions Thursday to construct three separate fire lines between the north end of the fire and Oak Flat. FIre Information Officer Rick Hartigan said teams were utilizing the fire line from the Silver Fire of 1987, another new fire line and a third around structures in the Oak Flat area.

Conditions early Thursday were favorable for the firefighting effort. Mild winds were shifting from the northeast, north and northwest, pushing it back toward its origin.

Crews were doing evaulation and triage around structures, Hartigan said. Tree fallers were also operating in the Oak Flat area early Thursday. Hartigan said crews were in the Wilderness Retreat area and doing evaluation and triage in the Upper Chetco River area.

While calm and clear skies were visible in Agness early Thursday, a large plume of smoke rose into the sky about 2 p.m., reminding area residents of the fire's presence.

Hartigan said he expects portions of the fire to burn until the autumn rains fall. "It won't be put out. We may be able to contain it from the residential areas, but this won't be out for a long time," Hartigan said.

Bend Bulletin staff writer Melissa Bearns, who has covered three other forest fires this summer, spent the day with fire crews in the Illinois Valley. Watch for her report Friday morning at www.bendbulletin.com. In the meantime, she shared some thoughts of her day:

The firefighters successfully created a burnout between Squaw Mountain and Illinois Valley Road overnight, and continued fortifying the bulldozer line being created along the east flank of the Florence Fire.

Fear and anxiety hung in the mood of valley residents, just like the smoke hangs in the mountains.

There are a lot of homesteaders who are determined not to leave. People are packed and ready to go, but are getting used to living with the constant presence of the fire. The weather has done a lot to lift people's spirit of optimism -- the hot and humid still air means the fire won't move any closer.

Fire crews usually do burnouts at night when the wind dies down; they've been able to burn-out all day Thursday to work south along the dozer line.

Some other random notes:

-- The Forest Service expects to close all forest roads south of the Rogue River, to clear the way for firefighters.

-- An informational meeting is being planned for Brookings-area residents later in the week, but no time or place has been set.

-- Highway 199 remains closed between Gasquet and the California border, because of the Shelly Creek Fire near Patrick's Creek Lodge. Traffic on Bear Camp Road between Agness and Galice is being limited to passenger vehicles for safety reasons.

-- Illinois Valley residents remain under the possibility of a 30-minute evacuation notice because of the east flank of the Florence Fire.

-- All open burning has been banned in Coos, Curry and western Douglas counties by the Coos Forest Protetie Association.

-- Fire wardens are working with residents in the rural areas of Brookings to create defensible space around their homes, as a precautionary measure.

-- The Curry County Commissioners have designated Chip Weinert (541-247-3272) as the resource management person for the county in this emergency. It's his job to match up resources and needs, such as space for animals, equipment needs, or volunteer help.

The Pilot, the Daily Triplicate and the Bend Bulletin are teaming up to provide special coverage of the fire in Saturday's edition of the Curry Coastal Pilot.

In the meantime, The Pilot will continue issuing twice-daily e-mail updates, with special News Alerts about any special events. Look for links to fire information Web sites from our Web site at www.currypilot.com

Thanks for using the online services of the Curry Coastal Pilot.

Charles Kocher

Publisher

Current Incident Facts
Florence Fire

(Updated: 08/01/02 at 7:00 pm Pacific DST)

Size: 164,000 acres
Percent Contained (all fires) 5%
Date of Origin: 07/13/02
Cause: Lightning
Number of Personnel on Incident: 1,313

WND still evacuated due to 'hellacious' blaze
187,000-acre conflagration No. 1 firefighting effort in nation

Posted: August 2, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern

SELMA, Ore. – "The nation's top priority in firefighting" is how officials are now describing Southern Oregon's still-uncontrolled "Florence fire," which has consumed 150,000 acres of pristine forestland and is now raging on the outskirts of Selma, causing many homeowners and business to evacuate, including WorldNetDaily's corporate headquarters.

Ignited by lightning more than two weeks ago, the Florence fire, which one firefighter called "hellacious," is mere miles away from a second wildfire, dubbed "Sour Biscuit," which to date has consumed about 37,000 acres. Firefighters expect the two fires to merge imminently, referring to the conjoined conflagration as the "Biscuit Complex."

Currently, the Illinois Valley's 17,000 residents are on 30-minute evacuation stand-by.

Mandatory evacuation of that many people, which officials fear would clog the two-lane Highway 199 ("Redwood Highway"), would be triggered if the fire breaches the 30-mile trench dug by a dozen bulldozers west of the highway – literally a "last-ditch" effort to stop the blaze from jumping the fire line and reaching the populated valley floor.

Sunday night, WND personnel removed all vital equipment, computers and data from the company's rural headquarters.

"We appreciate the many inquiries we've received from concerned readers about our well-being," said Joseph Farah, WorldNetDaily's editor and CEO. "Our administrative functions and store are still evacuated out of harm's way, and we're hoping and praying for the best."

The editorial and production side of the business, already widely decentralized, have not been adversely affected by the fire. However, the administrative offices, including customer service lines, will likely remain down until the danger has passed.

"We are looking at the fire at this time as uncontrollable," the Oregon Department of Forestry's Greg Gilpin said yesterday, according to a CBS News report, which reported that unfavorable winds had prevented firefighters from lighting off backfires during the night to reinforce their primary fire line. Another 100 miles of line reportedly must be built to control the "Biscuit Complex" fire.

In the last few days, many residents here have left the Illinois Valley with their belongings. Hotels and motels in Grants Pass, 20 miles to the north of Selma, are reportedly full.