Single Publication

Devil’s Knob and Milepost 98 Fire Evening Update for Wednesday, September 11, 2024

KEY MESSAGES:

A public meeting was held tonight in Tiller. This meeting was recorded and will be posted to the Facebook page for viewing. 

CURRENT STATUS: 

Devil’s Knob - Resources: 657, Crews: 19, Engines: 16, Water Tenders: 12

Night operations will build on what firefighters were able to accomplish today. This includes continuing to secure and bolster lines around the fire. Hand crews will monitor hot spots near the fire’s edge and engage where able to fully extinguish fuels. Weather may impact the work that resources can accomplish tonight, however progress will push forward with firefighter safety taken into consideration. 

Milepost 98- Resources: 325, Crews: 13, Engines: 12, Water Tenders: 9

Firefighters have finished building line around the entirety of the Milepost 98 fire. Resources assigned to the fire tonight will continue mop-up operations, broadening lines and further securing the perimeter. Hazard trees that could fall in wet and windy weather are a concern on the line tonight. Firefighters will be aware of this potential and mitigate these risks as they work tonight.

WEATHER / FIRE BEHAVIOR:

Fire behavior will be minimal this evening after the cold front that moved through the region Wednesday. Wetting rains of 1/10 of an inch fell within the fire area. Isolated showers will remain on Thursday with seasonal temperatures and high humidly.

SAFETY AND CLOSURES: 

There are two closures impacting every district of the Umpqua National Forest, including a new closure for the Devil’s Knob Fire. These can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices. While all lanes on I-5 are open between Milepost 97 and 98, the right shoulder remains closed for firefighter safety. Please use extra caution when driving due to the wet weather, which also includes increased potential for rollout debris in areas impacted by wildfire.

Restrictions for the Douglas Forest Protective Association have decreased. Industrial Fire Precaution Levels (IFPL) have decreased to IFPL LEVEL 2 on all lands protected by the Douglas Forest Protective Association, which includes lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Public Use Restrictions (PURs) have decreased to MODERATE for all private, county, state, and Bureau of Indian Affairs lands within the Douglas District, which imposes certain fire restrictions on the public to help prevent wildfires.

Evacuation levels from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office have changed. An interactive map can be found at their website, https://www.dcso.com/EVACUATIONS. Residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency notifications through Douglas County Emergency Management, found at https:// www.dcso.com/254/Emergency-Notification-System. Currently, no level 3 evacuations exist. Level 2 evacuations include all residences on Joe Hall Road, all residences on Tison Road, all residences on Elk Diamond Road, and all residences on Ritchie Road. Level 1 evacuations include all residences on the East side of Tiller Trail Hwy between the 34000 to 36760 block. Cancelled evacuation notices include all residential addresses on Canyon Creek Road.