Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Page A-5
Fires near Applegate River have residents ready to evacuate
Damian Mann
Mail Tribune
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) - Daniel Sathre and his family
have their bags packed and are ready to flee quickly if the Miller
Complex fires near the Applegate River kick up this week.
“I’m definitely nervous but not panicked,” the 64-year-old
said.
Fire officials have told Sathre and other Palmer Creek
Road residents near the Applegate River to collect their
possessions and prepare for evacuation in case the Burnt Peak
fire advances to the east.
The fire is one of 25 separate blazes that make up the
Miller Complex, which stretches over a broad area from
southern Josephine County to Jackson County near Upper
Applegate Road and down into California.
Particularly worrisome for Sathre, his wife and his
mother-in-law, is the 2,546-acre Burnt Peak fire burning two
miles to the west and 9 miles southwest of Ruch. Firefighters
have contained only the western flank of the blaze, and they’re
concerned that strong winds, high temperatures and expected
drier conditions could push it east toward Applegate Road.
Just to the south of Applegate Lake, the 1,595-acre
Seattle fire spans the California and Oregon border. Two other
connected fires, the Abney and Cook, are burning near the Cook
and Green Pass within a 3,446-acre area. The Seattle, Abney and
Cook fires have almost joined together and are a half mile from
acreage of the fires in the Miller Complex was reduced over the
weekend. Other smaller fires in the area have been added into
the total for the Miller Complex.
Sierra Hellstrom, public information officer for the Miller
Complex, said the complex included 25 lightning-sparked fires
around the area, and fire crews have essentially stamped out
all but six. The fires are being fought by 550 people, though
reinforcements have been called in, she said.
With hotter and drier conditions expected over the next
week, the fires could gain momentum.
“It is actively burning,” Hellstrom said. “There is the
potential for fire growth on all the fires.”
Because of the terrain and different types of vegetation at
each of the fires in the complex, it has been difficult to get crews
in to establish lines, Hellstrom said.
“Rolling debris” is one of the biggest safety issues. When
crews park on a road with a steep hillside above them, debris
that has caught on fire can roll down the hill, creating a hazard.
“We’re being very careful about where we’re placing the
resources because of all the slopes,” Hellstrom said.
On Sunday, three firefighters were injured, one of them
seriously, when their engine rolled off the road.
“They were in the vehicle and rolled down into an
embankment,” she said.
Hellstrom said 80 evacuation packets were handed out to
residents, mostly along Palmer Creek Road. Other areas have
also received evacuation notices, and fire crews have been
working with residents who need to move livestock out.
the rural community of Joe Bar, California, next to the Oregon
border.
To the west, some five miles east of the Oregon Caves, the
1,977-acre Creedence and Bigelow fires have also connected.
Most of the blazes have only limited containment lines.
“I can tell you the crews are running up and down the
road,” Sathre said. “The smoke is heavy, heavy, heavy.”
He said his 91-year-old mother-in-law is hunkered down
in her house across the road from him. A temporary pond has
been positioned behind her house, and crews filled it with 1,500
gallons of water, Sathre said.
“My mother-in-law has never seen a fire like this,” he said.
Both his wife and mother were raised in the Applegate.
Fire crews have kept residents up-to-speed on
developments, including explaining what to expect with
different evacuation notices and how the fires are progressing,
Sathre said.
From his vantage point, Sathre has been unable to see any
flames from the fire. For the past few days, heavy smoke has
limited visibility, and Sathre has seen fewer aircraft battling the
blazes. Fire officials say the smoke, which is primarily from the
107,993-acre Chetco Bar Fire near Brookings, has hampered
air operations. Some residents have unnecessarily worried the
increasing smoke means the Miller Complex is expanding.
Compared to the Chetco Bar Fire, the 9,628-acre Miller
Complex is much smaller, but it has the potential to become
devastating because the mountainous terrain is difficult to
access for firefighters. After better computer mapping, the exact
FIRE
...
Continued from A-1
Communities along the Klamath River
are experiencing degraded air quality due to the
numerous fires in the area and limiting visibility
on forest roads and state highways. Driving in
smoky conditions can be dangerous. Please drive
slowly, and with your lights on to ensure you are
seen by other drivers. Be alert for firefighters and
fire equipment along Hwy. 96 from Seiad Valley
to Clear Creek Ranch.
Oak: Continued road prep and
handline construction for indirect containment
firelines and implementing strategic firing
operations as the fire moves east. Construct
contingency line for the town of Happy Camp.
Provide structure protection on the east flank.
Resources will continue to mop-up where
needed. Continue implementation of suppression
indirect containment line on the east side while
solidifying contingency alternatives. Strengthen
control lines on the east flank.
Cedar and Four Mile: Continue indirect
handline and dozer line construction on the west
and south sides of the proposed fire perimeter.
Continue prepping the 19N01 road for potential
strategic firing operations. Continued strategic
firing to strengthen containment lines on the east
flank and southern flank. Scouting and prep of
the northern containment line using MIST.
(Photos by Laura Mancuso, Illinois Valley News)
Cave Junction (left) was filled with smoke Monday Aug. 28. Harris Beach in Brookings was also saturated with smoke
from the Chetco Bar Fire Sunday Aug. 27.
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