Free Republic

Black line protects subdivision from Biscuit Oregon Live/The Oregonian, 08/19/02 WENDY LAWTON and WENDY OWEN Residents in a 25-home subdivision near Agness got some relief Sunday as crews finished a burnout to protect them from the Biscuit fire raging three-quarters of a mile away. A black line, an area devoid of fuel, now protects the Oak Flat subdivision, but the line needs to be tested by the main fire to ensure it's secure. "They've got a good buffer," said Dick Fleishman, fire information officer. However, hot temperatures and high winds can blow embers across the line and spark spot fires,...

Bush to Tour Fire Lines 08/16/2002 By AP Staff President Bush will visit areas devastated by the Squires fire in Ruch next Thursday during a visit to Oregon that also will include a fund-raising dinner for Republican Senator Gordon Smith, the White House announced Friday. Bush, who is taking a "working vacation" at his ranch in Waco, Texas, also plans stops in California, according to a schedule released by the president's office. The president will deliver a speech on the importance of thinning forests to curb future wildfires, and has invited governors from Western states to join him during the...

Agness residents receive evacuation warning By JEFF BARNARD The Associated Press 8/7/02 2:01 AM GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) -- The Curry County sheriff on Tuesday warned residents of more than 220 homes around the white-water rafting community of Agness to be ready to evacuate in case the Florence Fire moves closer. Firefighters and deputies began going house to house through the settlements of Agness, Illahe, and Oak Flat, located at the confluence of the Rogue and Illinois rivers within three to six miles of the northern flank of the Florence Fire. "If we come talk to you a second time,...