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Smith River Complex North update for Saturday, September 2, 2023

GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Friday brought cool, humid weather to the Smith River Complex North. Tactical firing operations near Lone Mountain Road and O’Brien were paused due to wet conditions, but mop-up continued along fire lines.

South of the tunnel on Hwy 199, fire activity west of the highway moderated enough for two Interagency Hotshot Crews to construct direct lines along the live fire edge. They are working to cut off fire spread north toward Gilligan Butte.

On the northwest part of the fire, Hotshot firefighters directed helicopter bucket drops of water on the fire edge. They are working to build direct lines around the “thumb” of the fire, while other Hotshots are preparing the 019 Road to be used as a fire line tying the thumb to the 461 Road. These crews are camping out on the fire line despite the rain to monitor the fire edge and reduce travel time.

A Flash Flood Warning was issued for the Smith River Complex North as heavy rain moved into the fire vicinity late Friday afternoon. Rain continued into the night, with some areas of the fire receiving more than a half inch of rain in an hour. Today, fire personnel will be checking for storm damage, including debris flows that may have impacted roads or fire lines. In areas that received rain, firefighters will concentrate on mop-up and extinguishing any remaining heat.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has begun to release structural task forces, beginning with Lane and Klamath Counties. Due to the collective efforts and the change in weather, OSFM will continue to release crews to their home agencies.

“The releasing of task forces back to their home agencies signals that the threat to lives and homes is reducing,” Illinois Valley Fire Chief John Holmes said. “We will continue to be here to protect our community when OSFM transitions back that responsibility.”

As OSFM task forces return to their home agencies, Northwest Incident Management Team 13 structural protection remains in place. 

A Level 3 – GO NOW evacuation remains in place for the Hwy 199 area south of O’Brien from milepost 38 to the state line. A Level 2 – GET SET evacuation is in place for O’Brien and the Takilma area. A Level 1 – GET READY evacuation is in place north to Cave Junction. An American Red Cross evacuation shelter is located at Rogue Community College in Grants Pass. Livestock can be sheltered at the Josephine County Fairgrounds.

Monitor Rogue Valley Emergency Management site and sign up for evacuation alerts and updates at https://rvem.org. An interactive Fire First Response Map showing evacuation areas can also be found there.

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has implemented an area and road closure order for the Smith River Complex. Visit the forest website for additional information at https://bit.ly/RRSNFAlerts. The Bureau of Land Management Coos Bay District announced an emergency closure of public lands near the Oregon/California border. For additional information see https://www.blm.gov/orwafire.