Single Publication

A community meeting will be held tomorrow night at 7 PM at the Sixes Grange Hall and broadcast live on Facebook (link below). Fire managers and local agency representatives will share information and answer questions about the fires.

Anvil Fire

Size: 8,957 acres

Start Date:  August 25, 2023

Location:  8 miles east of Port Orford, OR

Containment:  0%

Total personnel:  688

Resources:  17 crews, 4 helicopters, 25 engines

Fire crews made substantial progress in several areas on the fire yesterday.  Hand crews continued burning vegetation from along the previously constructed handline running south from Grassy Knob towards the Fish Hatchery and Elk River Road during favorable weather conditions.  Concurrently, engine crews patrolling west along the Elk River road located and contained two spot fires.  Helicopters dropped 162,000 gallons of water on the fire in support of ground operations across the fire area.  Near residences, firefighters used utilizing water pumps and sprinklers to increase humidity levels.

The Curry County Sheriff’s Office is working closely with federal law enforcement officers assigned to the Anvil Fire to patrol the evacuated areas and ensure the safety of homes and property.  Additionally, Curry County is closing China Mountain Road from the south end of Humbug Mountain State Park to the junction with BPA powerlines on the north end, limiting traffic on the roadway to only fire vehicles.  Other area closures and evacuation levels are unchanged. This road closure allows large firefighting vehicles and equipment to travel the China Mountain Road with fewer interactions.

Evacuations:  Curry County Sheriff’s Office has identified four evacuation zones around the Anvil Fire.  An interactive evacuation map is available at https://bit.ly/45UIh2E. Zones 1 and 4 are in Level 3 “Go“ evacuation status.  Zones 2 and 3 are in Level 2 “Get Set“ status.  Sign up for Curry Co. emergency alerts at https://bit.ly/CurryCoEM.

Flat Fire

Size:  34,242 acres

Start Date:  July 15, 2023

Location:  2 miles southeast of Agness, OR

Containment:  75%

Total personnel:  104

Resources:  2 crews, 3 helicopters, 2 engines

Two areas with burning stumps were identified by visible smoke inside the existing containment lines yesterday.  Helicopters rapidly delivered 2,500 gallons of water on the hot spots to ensure they would not continue to grow and possibly cross the fireline.  Fire engines will continue to patrol and monitor the fire and respond rapidly as needed to any increased fire behavior.

General Information

Weather:  A Red Flag Warning, an indication of weather conditions that could contribute to large fire growth, is in effect in the fire area from Sunday at midnight through Monday at noon. Ridgetop winds are expected to reach 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 27 mph. Relative humidity will also be low during this time. Another chance for increased north/northeast winds is forecast for later in the week. Fire managers are coordinating with local agencies to prepare for these weather events and their impact to the fires. Conditions may change quickly. Continue to monitor information sites for the fire status updates.

Smoke:  Visit https://bit.ly/SWORsmoke for current smoke and air quality updates.

Area and Road Closures:  For the safety of firefighters and the public, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has issued closure orders for the Anvil and Flat Fire areas. Visit https://bit.ly/RRSNFAlerts for closure maps and information. The Bureau of Land Management’s Edson and Sixes Campgrounds are closed until further notice.

Smoke and the marine cloud layer are mingling and settling in the lower elevations overnight potentially causing limited visibility along highways.  Please drive slowly and with headlights on through any fire area.  Heavy equipment and firefighter transportation vehicles are also using the area highways and roads. Caltrans issued a schedule of road closures and lane restrictions on US-199. Local law enforcement cautions against any non-essential traffic along this route. For specific information on road access, please see the Caltrans QuickMap site at: https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ and Oregon Department of Transportation site at: https://www.tripcheck.com/.  Do not use forest roads for alternate routes.

Notice:  Inciweb will be down for maintenance for several hours this evening. Continue to monitor Facebook or Twitter for timely information during this period.