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70% containment this morning. Burnouts almost completed. More than 494,000 acres burned. Three new large fires, no mention of where.

Late Breaking News - 6 p.m.
New Siskiyou National Forest emergency fire closure to go into effect immediately
Friday August 23

GRANTS PASS, August 23, 2002 - The Siskiyou National Forest is imposing a “PUBLIC ACCESS CLOSURE” on all or portions of the Chetco and Gold Beach Ranger Districts. This closure went into effect 8:00 a.m. Friday, August 23, announced Tom Reilly, Acting Forest Supervisor for the Siskiyou and Rogue River National Forests.

“The continuing fire and rehabilitation activities, along with associated hazards, has made an unsafe situation for our visiting publics” explained Reilly. “Hazards making this closure necessary include active fire, movement of large equipment, and the potential for falling snags, rocks and other debris.”

The entire Chetco Ranger District is closed to the public with the following exceptions:

Road 1107 Winchuck (Junction County Road to Winchuck Campground)
· Road 1108 Divide (Junction Road 1107 to Milepost 1.5)

· Road 1376 North Bank Chetco (Junction County Road to Redwood Nature Trail Milepost 0.2)

· Redwood Nature Trail (#1111)

The portion of the Gold Beach Ranger District south of the Road #33 (Agness Road) is closed to the public with the following exceptions:

Road 3300090 Kimball Creek (Junction Road 33 to Francis Shrader Old Growth Trail (Milepost 2.0)
Road 3730 Illahe (Junction County Road to terminus at Road 33)
Lower Rogue River Trail (#1171)
Francis Shrader Old Growth Trail (#1172)
Myrtle Tree Trail (#1163)
The entire Galice Ranger District and the portion of the Illinois Valley Ranger District west of State Highway 199 remain closed to the public.

Road closure notices will be posted on main roads leading into closed areas.

If conditions change the Forest Supervisor will reevaluate the need for the closures.

The following areas on the Siskiyou National Forest will remain open: the entire Powers Ranger District, the portion of the Gold Beach Ranger District north of the Road #33 (Agness Road), and the portion of the Illinois Valley Ranger District east of State Highway 199.

Fire restrictions remain in effect for all of the Siskiyou and Rogue River National Forests. Campfires and charcoal fires are prohibited, and smoking must be confined to vehicles and cigarettes must be discarded in metal receptacles.

There are closure orders in effect for the Umpqua National Forest and the Six Rivers National Forest in California. The Douglas and Coos Forest Protective Associations in Douglas, Coos, and Curry counties have imposed an ‘ENTRY BY PERMIT ONLY’ closure as well.

Thanks, that is really interesting about the closures.

Here is the last NOAA satellite image from 22 August. As of about 7pmish on 22 Aug, Friday, there were still a lot of blazes going on in and on the perimeters of Biscuit.

The new Biscuit disaster could be happening up in the Umpquah Valley areas with the Tiller and Apple fires. When justshe returns after a weekend to cleanse the smoke out of her lungs, she can give us a first hand report of what is happening there.