Single Publication

August 15, 2023

Flat Fire Morning Update

Size: 33,861  acres                                          

Start Date:  July 15, 2023

Point of origin: 2 miles southeast of Agness, OR

Containment: 56%

Total personnel: 487

Resources: 20 engines l 7 crews l 3 bulldozers l 21 water tenders l 9 masticators l 4 helicopters

Highlights:  Fire behavior remains similar to the past several days with mostly smoldering and creeping.  Any chance of crown fire remains minimal.  The Lawson Creek and Indigo drainage areas continue to sustain the most fire activity, consisting of occasional flareups. The portions of the fireline that are not shown as contained are areas that have burned into older fire footprints minimizing further growth. Crews continue to support the O’Brien Creek Fire and will be available for initial attack elsewhere if necessary.

Today’s Activities:

Firefighters continue to patrol contained firelines, monitoring the fire for changes in behavior. All resources are ready to engage as required. The southwest fire perimeter continues to receive work from both heavy equipment and hand crews creating a defensible contingency line. This action will tie-in line between the dozer lines in the Pistol River and Meadows Creek drainages and roads 1503, 050, and 365. Assessments on the area continue as crews and aircraft maintain a daily vigil for early identification of fire growth or a change in fire behavior. Air resources continue to be available and support the Flat Fire and assist with initial attack.

Weather: A Red Flag Warning remains in effect for Tuesday afternoon through early evening.  An Excessive Heat Warning is also in effect through Thursday for portions of the fire area. Temperatures are expected to be slightly cooler today. However, weather conditions over the fire continue to be hot and dry with elevated fire weather and locally breezy winds at times. There is a 10% probability of isolated showers and thunderstorms this evening. Temperatures are expected to cool at the end of the week and over the weekend.

Smoke:  Smoke from the Flat Fire may impact Agness in the morning hours. Smoke from the Bedrock Fire has largely moved off but could affect communities to the south over the next few days. Gold Beach, Brookings, and Crescent City should have good air quality with some haze. The Smoke Outlook is available at:  Current Smoke Outlook for SW Oregon (airfire.org)

Closures:  Closure orders for the fire area can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/rogue-siskiyou/alerts-notices

Evacuations:  Level 1 “Get Ready” evacuation status in place for areas in the vicinity of the Flat Fire. Link to more information:  https://tinyurl.com/currycountyem

Restrictions: Fire danger is currently extreme; the RRSNF is implementing Level 2 Public Use Restrictions. More information here: https://tinyurl.com/ueuznr6e

Please follow all fire restrictions to prevent wildfires. Know before you go. Check on whether there are any campfire restrictions at your recreation destination.

Fire Information:(541)216-4579

Media inquiries: (541)237-6369

Email: 2023.flat.or@firenet.gov

Facebook: facebook.com/flatfireoregon2023

Twitter: twitter.com/FlatFireOR2023

Inciweb: bit.ly/FlatFireOR