A community meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, September 25, at the Agness Library & Community Center. The meeting will also be available virtually via www.facebook.com/SWORFireInfo. In addition to fire personnel, a BLM River Ranger will be present for the community meeting to answer boaters’ questions.
CURRENT STATUS: There has been no measurable fire growth on Pinnacle Fire due to the extensive efforts by firefighters to strengthen direct and indirect lines. Cold trailing continues, which is a method of inspecting areas that were previously burned over to ensure underground embers won’t reignite and threaten control lines. Towards the east, crews continue to monitor and patrol for potential spotting and flare-ups.
On the Backbone Fire, more growth is expected north- and westwards (in the direction of Panther Ridge and Brushy Bar, respectively) due to critical fire conditions. There is confidence that the control lines will keep the fire from crossing Panther Ridge. Firefighters continue to monitor fire progression on the eastern slope as topography has prevented crews from going direct to the fire’s edge. Tuesday, hotshot crews were establishing checklines and extinguishing hotspots on a ridgeline east of Tate Creek.
East contingency groups will complete road preparation from Long Gulch to Forest System Road 330 within the next few operational shifts. Despite smoky conditions in the morning, helicopters delivered 108,000 gallons of water to slow fire spread.
WEATHER & SMOKE: Today will be another critical fire weather day with high temperatures and low humidities. Smoke will be likely in the morning but may lift by the afternoon. Starting Thursday, temperatures are expected to drop back down to the 80s with a significant increase in humidity. Smoke and air quality information is available at https://www.oregonsmoke.org/ and https://www.airnow.gov.
SAFETY: Boaters on the Rogue River are asked to avoid floating through the fire area Blossom Bar to Foster Bar from 10am-6pm. Please STAY IN YOUR BOAT, NO SWIMMING and NO FISHING between Blossom Bar and Foster Bar If you encounter a helicopter, please try to stay river right when possible. Permitted boaters can contact the BLM Smullin Visitor Center at 541-618-2408 or email [email protected] about the status of the river. The public is reminded to remain cautious when driving in the area. Many of the roads are narrow, including paved roads.
EVACUATIONS: Several areas remain in Level 1 (Ready) and Level 2 (Get Set) evacuations. Evacuations may be re-evaluated after the critical weather event passes. Please visit the interactive evacuation map https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/de78333b0d2544f7a320142174aa20ae.
CLOSURES:The Forest Service closure is still in effect for the fire area. For the safety of the public and firefighters, please adhere to all closures. Please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/rogue-siskiyou/alerts for closure information and maps.