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Smith River Complex North update for Tuesday, September 5, 2023

GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Despite one-half to one full inch of rainfall on the Smith River Complex North over the past four days, the fire is far from extinguished, fire managers cautioned Monday.

“It basically put the fire to sleep,” Incident Meteorologist Phil Manuel said, but upcoming weather will “bring it out of hibernation.”

As skies clear and temperatures rise this week, wet surface fuels will dry out and burn more actively. Heavy dead fuels, such as logs and branches, are still very dry, as is ground litter beneath trees and shrubs.

Crews are continuing to prepare the 019 Road for tactical firing operations if it becomes necessary and conditions allow. Structure and contingency crews are starting to remove hoses and other equipment from residential areas where they are no longer needed, but some plumbing will remain in key locations.

Monday, hotshot crews were working to extinguish pockets of heat along Monkey Ridge. In the Little Sanger area, crews were transporting logs from felled hazard trees to landing sites for removal.

An east-west line along the 450 Road is complete and is being extended down to the 305 Road to the California state line. Contingency line preparation along Chicago Creek to Stevens Camp is progressing.

With secure lines around the north end of the fire and along Hwy 199, more fire resources are moving to the west edge of the fire. Engines and chippers have started preparing the 1107 Road, and heavy equipment is being staged at the Brookings rest area.

Hwy 199 is open, with pilot cars escorting traffic through an eight-mile section of the highway where burned guardrails and other hazards from the Smith River Complex remain. Motorists should expect 30-minute delays. For the latest information on road conditions, please see the Caltrans site and Oregon Department of Transportation's TripCheck site.

Area and road closures are in effect Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Coos Bay District have issued for the Smith River Complex. A campfire ban remains in place for BLM and forest lands, and the Wild section of the Rogue River. Visit the forest website https://bit.ly/RRSNFAlerts or https://www.blm.gov/orwafire for additional information.

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. The American Red Cross evacuation shelter in Grants Pass has closed. 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.