Posted on 08/05/2002 7:38:38 AM PDT by Archie Bunker on steroids
NW Cable News August 5, 2002
Fire threat drops in southern Oregon
08/05/2002
CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. - Cooler, humid weather both helped and hampered fire crews Sunday as they worked round the clock to get an upper hand on the Florence fire.
Low winds, temperatures in the 70s and high humidity meant the fire was not active and had not grown significantly. But the wet weather was also preventing crews from starting burnouts, or planned fires used to starve the main blaze of its fuel.
"Even though this is slowing the fire, it's still hurting what we do," said Tom Knappenberger, a Forest Service spokesman.
Crews made little progress with burnouts overnight and plans for more Sunday were up in the air because of the wet weather. A total of 40 miles have been scorched with drip torches and flare pistols by hand crews working along the fire's eastern flank, where it threatens about 17,000 Illinois Valley residents.
There are about eight more miles to burn before the containment line reaches the California border, where another fire team takes over responsibility, Knappenberger said.
The fire was estimated at 198,240 acres Sunday, but the slight increase in size was because of planned fires and better mapping.
The threat to the Illinois Valley has dropped because of progress with burnouts and the cooler weather, said Mike Ferris, Forest Service spokesman.
A 30-minute evacuation order for 17,000 people was downgraded to a two-hour warning Saturday night, he said. That could be lowered to a 24- or 48-hour notice in the next few days, he said.
"We're feeling pretty good about the reduced threat in these communities. It's starting to look like they have a minimal risk to them," Ferris said.
Smoke and flames from a burn out made by the Rogue River Hot Shot crew billow up from the bank of a creek bed near O'Brien, Ore., Sunday. However, the fire remained the top priority in the nation for resources because of the lingering threat to so many homes.
The Florence fire was still about one to two miles from the 41,000-acre Biscuit Fire and fire officials expect the two blazes to merge in the next few days.
"We expect them to and it's OK if they do," Ferris said. "We've been treating them like one fire already."
The thick, yellowish smoke that blanketed the valley Saturday afternoon had dissipated Sunday morning, although it was still hazy. State health officials had warned the elderly and people with lung ailments to stay indoors.
Meanwhile, another management team handling the fire's western flank from a command post in Gold Beach continued to prepare a containment line around the northern and western sides.
The fire crossed Indigo Creek to the north and was about three miles from Agness, a tiny whitewater outpost, by Sunday.
The Bear Camp Highway, which runs from near Grants Pass to Agness, will be closed indefinitely beginning late Sunday night, Ferris said. The highway serves as a major conduit for whitewater rafters on the Rogue River and will be used as a secondary containment line for the fire if it gets that far north, he said.
Crews working from the east and the west hope to link their containment lines at Burnt Ridge Road, creating a 200-mile line around the massive fire. Fire officials said Sunday they would use a special blasting technology to clear fire line near O'Brien for the second day. The explosives, which look like thin sausage links, are being used because the terrain is so rocky hand crews can't dig in it.
Active fires in Oregon have burned more than 462,000 acres across the state. Other fires of major concern included:
Timbered Rock fire 20 miles north of Medford. It was at 25,675 acres and 45 percent contained. Residents in about 143 homes along Elk Creek Road were allowed home Friday.
Tiller Complex outside Tiller, east of Canyonville off Interstate 5. It was at 29,539 acres and 25 percent contained.
Good news for the Medford area as Timbered Rock appears contained.
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