Incident Publication

Fire Information: At this time, the Jack Fire has burned 22,491 acres and is 61 percent contained. The fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain that is difficult to access, and it continues to be a challenge for fire operations. Yesterday’s relative humidity was too high for crews to conduct their intended firefighting operations, but allowed time for firefighters to prepare for these operations when weather conditions become more favorable.

Current fire behavior is most active south of Hwy 138 in the east, southeast, and south flank of the fire. Crews there are preparing for firing operations as conditions allow, including at the 4770 road, along the 520 road to Twin Lakes, and near Calf Creek. If burn operations occur, please be aware smoke may be visible to the public. Firefighters are successfully holding the control lines north of Hwy 138, where mop-up, patrol, and monitoring activities continue on the northeast, north, and west perimeters of the fire. Last night’s infrared scan indicated a spot fire starting near the west flank; crews will work to contain this start.

Note that a RED FLAG WARNING has been issued for today (Thursday) through Friday due to the extreme heat and low relative humidity with a 30 percent chance for dry thunderstorms over the fire. Concern is for firefighter safety, new fire starts, erratic winds near thunder cells, and potential for unpredictable fire behavior.

Structures: Firefighter presence continues within Dry Creek patrolling and monitoring the area.

Aviation: Air support consists of two heavy Type I helicopters with buckets, one heavy Type I helicopter with a tank, and one light Type III. On Tuesday, aviation resources dropped 4,320 gallons of water on the Jack Fire and spent 2.6 hours in the air. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) has been established over the Jack Fire to protect aircraft that are involved in the firefighting operation. All unauthorized aircraft, including drones, are prohibited from flying over the fire. Please do not use drones or any other restricted aircraft listed near the fire as it is a federal crime.

 Safety: Our primary mission continues to be managing wildfires, taking care of the community, and meeting the objectives identified by the agency administrators. Be advised to watch out for heat-related illness due to excessive heat conditions through today (Thursday) and Friday. Additionally, protecting the community and our firefighters from contagious diseases, such as COVID-19, is also a priority. COVID precautions and procedures have been implemented to ensure the safety and health of all fire personnel and the community we serve. Our staff will continually be monitored to ensure protection measures are effective and in alignment with the primary objectives of protection from wildfire.

Safety on Hwy 138: At this time, Hwy 138 remains open. Be aware there are possible speed limit changes and increased traffic due to fire personnel. Please follow the posted speed limit for your safety and the safety of firefighters.

Closures: The Umpqua National Forest currently has closed certain areas within the national forest for the safety of the public. The full closure order and map can be viewed at www.fs.usda.gov/umpqua and on the Jack Fire Facebook page.

Evacuations: As designated by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, the current evacuation levels remain the same. A current evacuation map can be found at www.dcso.com/evacuations .

Weather: Meteorologists assigned to the fire issued a Red Flag Warning over the fire area due to the potential for dry lightning and gusty winds that are predicted to continue through Friday. Subsequently, weather conditions will trend hotter and drier for both Thursday and Friday. Thursday’s temperature will be near 100°F in the lower elevations, with relative humidity at 17 to 25 percent. There is a 30 percent chance of scattered dry thunderstorms and erratic wind gusts. Outside of the storms, afternoon winds will be mainly terrain-driven out of the northwest to north at 6 to 8 mph and gusts up to 15 mph. Weather conditions are expected to stabilize beginning on Saturday, with lower temperatures and cloud cover predicted for next week.

Additional information:

JACK FIRE Quick Facts:
Fire size: 23,002 acres
Location: 20 miles east of Glide, OR
Containment: 75 percent
Cause: Under investigation
Personnel: 545
Date of Ignition: 7/5/2021
Structures Threatened: 243
Injuries: 16
Aircraft: 5 (shared)
Dozer: 2
Engine: 21

ROUGH PATCH COMPLEX Quick Facts:
Fire size: 240 acres
Location: 20 miles east of Glide, OR
Containment: 1 percent
Cause: Under investigation
Personnel: 74
Date of Ignition: 7/29/2021
Structures Threatened: 0
Injuries: 0
Aircraft: 5 (shared)
Dozer: 4
Engine: 3

Fire Information: As of Sunday, August 1, the Jack Fire has burned 23,004 acres and is 75 percent contained. It is currently most active south of Hwy 138 in the east, southeast, and south flank of the fire. Crews there are conducting firefighting operations as conditions allow, including at the 4770 road, on the 28 road, along the 530 road to Twin Lakes, and near Calf Creek. As burn operations occur, please be aware smoke may be visible to the public. North of Hwy 138, firefighters are successfully holding control lines and continuing mop-up operations, patrol and monitoring activity on the northeast, north, and west perimeters of the fire.

Multiple small fire starts have recently ignited in a remote location at the Upper Steamboat Creek Drainage, following lightning storms that passed through that vicinity. Management of these new fire starts north of the Jack Fire has been combined and named the Rough Patch Complex. There are approximately 22 new starts burning about 240 acres. As of 7:00 a.m. this morning, Northwest Team 13, under the leadership of Brian Gales, has assumed command of the Rough Patch Complex. Today the new resources for the Rough Patch Complex will be working on the 650 and 651 roads and scouting for potential containment lines and opportunities for suppression. Crews will be assisted by firefighters from the Umpqua National Forest and the Douglas Fire Protection Association. The Rough Patch Complex is burning in an area of limited access, narrow roads, steep terrain, and high fuel loads, which will present a challenge for suppression operations.

Structures: Firefighter presence continues within Dry Creek patrolling and monitoring the area.

Aviation: A heavy Type I helicopter with bucket recently joined two heavy Type I helicopters with buckets, one heavy Type I helicopter with a tank, and one light Type III that were already assigned to the Jack Fire. All five helicopters are now supporting air operations for both the Jack Fire and the Rough Patch Complex. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) has been established over the Jack Fire and Rough Patch Complex to protect aircraft working on firefighting operations. All unauthorized aircraft, including drones, are prohibited from flying over the fire, as they can interfere with authorized air support operations. Please do not use drones or any other restricted aircraft listed near the fire as it is a federal crime.

Safety: Our primary mission continues to be managing wildfires, taking care of the community, and meeting the objectives identified by the agency administrators. Additionally, protecting the community and our firefighters from contagious diseases, such as COVID-19, is also a priority. COVID precautions and procedures have been implemented to ensure the safety and health of all fire personnel and the community we serve. Our staff will be continually monitored to ensure protection measures are effective and in alignment with the primary objectives of protection from wildfire.

Safety on Hwy 138: At this time, Hwy 138 remains open. Be aware there are possible speed limit changes and increased traffic due to fire personnel. Please follow the posted speed limit for your safety and the safety of firefighters.

Closures: The Umpqua National Forest’s Horseshoe Bend Campground remains closed to ensure the safety of the public. Visitors can call the North Umpqua Ranger Station at 541-496-3532 for details on whether additional national forest sites and facilities near the Jack Fire are open.

Evacuations: As designated by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, the current evacuation levels remain the same. A current evacuation map can be found at www.dcso.com/evacuations.

Weather: Although Saturday turned out warmer than predicted, weather conditions over the fire area have stabilized somewhat due to increased relative humidity, which will be about 30 to 35 percent today. Temperatures will be in the upper 80s at low elevations (2500 ft.) and high 70s to low 80s at high elevations (4000 ft.). There is a 15 percent chance of thunderstorms. Winds will remain terrain-driven at 5 to 10 mph, with gusts around 15 mph. Incident meteorologists forecast that similarly stable weather conditions will prevail through Wednesday.

Additional information:
·        Email: 2021.jack@firenet.gov
·        Web: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7605/
·        Facebook: https://fb.me/JackFire2021  

Quick Facts:
Fire size: 23,002 acres
Location: 20 miles east of Glide, OR
Containment: 76 percent
Cause: Under investigation
Personnel: 550
Date of Ignition: 7/5/2021
Structures Threatened: 243
Injuries: 16
Aircraft: 5 (shared)
Dozer: 4
Engine: 19

GLIDE, Ore. – Firefighters spent much of Monday locating and combating new lightning starts in and around the Jack Fire and Rough Patch Complex and expect to continue today, fire officials said.

“We had quite a day today very active, very busy with new starts,” said John Spencer, operations chief for Northwest Incident Management Team 13 under Brian Gales, which is now managing the Jack Fire, Rough Patch Complex and initial attack for new starts in the area. “There’s still more work to do and we expect more things to pop, but overall we had great successes.”

A morning reconnaissance flight identified 15 new lightning starts resulting from thunderstorms moving through the area Sunday evening. Fire crews began suppression efforts on six of those starts Monday and will begin addressing the remaining fires today.

Four starts were successfully contained in and around the southern end of the Jack Fire (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7605/) and work will continue today on three others. Unsafe conditions created by standing dead trees and steep ground in the Copeland Creek drainage forced crews to disengage and identify strategies for addressing the eighth ignition, which they will implement today as well.

Fire managers will be reassessing the overall objectives for the Jack Fire today due to the locations of these new starts. The fire footprint remains at 23,002.

On the Rough Patch Complex (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7758/), crews continued working along the 3821 Road and the 130 spur near Little Rock staging area to connect the southernmost containment line and preparing line along the 650 Road in the Chimney Rock area and the 3820 Road from the east.

The complex, located 26 miles east of Cottage Grove between Tiller and Glide, was designated July 29 to address multiple lightning starts. A total of 17 fires had burned about 429 acres as of Monday evening.

Fire managers are working with private landowners and timber companies to coordinate the removal of logging equipment and some log decks located within the complex and strategize protection measures for other stockpiles.

Warm weather will continue today and Wednesday, with temperatures in the upper 90s at low elevations (2500 ft.) and 80s at high elevations (4000 ft.). Relative humidity will be in the teens with a 10 percent chance of thunderstorms. Thursday, winds will range from about 6 to 8 mph out of the southeast, with gusts around 13 mph.

Closures: The Umpqua National Forest’s Horseshoe Bend Campground remains closed. An updated Forest Closure order and map can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umpqua/notices/?cid=FSEPRD935658.

 GLIDE, Ore. – Newer fires on the North Umpqua Ranger District are requiring more of firefighters’ attention this week than the month-old Jack Fire, officials said Tuesday.The Chilcoot II Fire, which was identified Monday after storms moved through the area Sunday evening, has been staffed around the clock since to protect a vital communications tower. Heavy equipment has cut line on both flanks while crews build and reinforce handlines on.

GLIDE, Ore. – Cooler weather and higher humidity should moderate fire activity across the Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fire, but fuels remain dry and will burn readily, fire officials said.

“We had another good day, but it was challenging due to the wind picking up toward evening,” said John Spencer, operations section chief for Northwest 13, which is managing the Jack Fire, Rough Patch Complex and several small fires in the area.

By Wednesday evening, the Rough Patch Complex had grown to 841 acres from 720 acres, while the Jack Fire grew less than 100 acres, from 23,182 acres to 23,280.

Brush and woody debris are being removed along the 3821 Road and the 650 Road down to a dozer line at Lemon Dip. Coordinated efforts to remove logging equipment and log decks are going seamlessly, Spencer said.

On the west side of the Rough Patch Complex, firefighters caught a 2-acre spot fire within the containment lines west and south of the 651 Road, with assistance from aerial water drops as crews cut line. Dozer and handline work continued across Lemon Dip.

Firefighters spent much of Wednesday scouting the 200-acre Little Bend Creek Fire, which is in dense forest, making aerial observation difficult. To the east, crews were working to open access to the 10-acre 600 Road Fire, which was backing into Homestead Creek.

Containment lines around the Chilcoot II Fire are holding and crews are now mopping up.

On the southern end of the Jack Fire, dozer lines successfully checked a 100-acre fire on the 400 Road at Section 17, while crews finished cutting line and shifted to mop up around the 700 Road.

In the Twin Lakes area to the northeast, firefighters were assessing handlines for potential burnout operations if conditions allow.

Despite the cooler weather moving in, fuels remain critically dry due to drought and many fires will continue to grow, Fire Behavior Analyst Dean Warner said.

Winds out of the northwest will also push smoke from fires in southern Oregon and California to the south and east, away from the fire zone, which should improve air quality.

The Umpqua National Forest’s Horseshoe Bend Campground remains closed. An updated Forest Closure order and map can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umpqua/notices/?cid=FSEPRD935658.

GLIDE, Ore. – Seasonal temperatures and higher humidities are expected to continue through the weekend, but temperatures will climb back into the 90s early next week, with possible Red Flag conditions Tuesday.

“We need to take advantage of this moderated weather,” said Incident Commander Brian Gales for Northwest 13 IMT, which is managing the Rough Patch Complex, Jack Fire and several smaller fires in the area. “We need to engage in the right place, with the right tactics to maximize the resources we have.”

For the safety of the public and firefighters battling the Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fire, several new closure orders are now in effect.

The Umpqua and Willamette National Forests have closed Steamboat Campground, Steamboat Falls Campground, Canton Creek Campground, Musick Guard Station and Mineral Campground. Roseburg District Bureau of Land Management has closed Francis Creek Road from the junction with Canton Creek Road north to the district boundary.

Copies of all closures and maps can be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7758/

By the end of the day Thursday, the Rough Patch Complex has spread to 1,529 acres with containment of 3 percent. The Jack Fire has grown to 23,644 acres. Its containment percentage has dropped to 54 percent in recent days due to the addition of several lightning-caused starts outside previously built containment lines.

On the Rough Patch Complex, firefighters continue building an alternate line along the 650 Road across the fire zone and along the 651 Road. Prep is also progressing on a contingency line along the 3821 Road and the 100 Spur. To the west, crews are preparing the 23 road and 600 Road for mastication.

The western edge of the Chaos Fire has nearly reached the bottom of Canton Creek. Fire managers are evaluating potential strategies for containment if it moves into the Saddle Camp Creek drainage to the northwest.

Aviation support from five helicopters helped keep fires within the complex in check. Fire crews continue to build alternate and containment lines within the fire perimeters and mop up work including snag and hazard tree removal and mastication.  

Western spread of the Jack Fire will be checked using existing containment line backed up with firing operations to secure the line.

Rough Patch Complex/Jack Fire update for Saturday, Aug. 7

GLIDE, Ore. – Extreme heat will move into the area again early next week, with high temperatures of 100 degrees or more and humidity in the teens, fire officials said.

“The next three days are critical,” Dean Warner, fire behavior analyst for Northwest 13 Incident Management Team, said of the incoming heat wave. “Live fuel moistures are beginning to plummet and conditions will be ripe for large fire growth potential in the next few days.”

As green vegetation dries out at the end of the growth season, its moisture level decreases, making it more susceptible to fire. By the end of the day Friday, the Jack Fire had grown slightly, to 23,644 acres, while the Rough Patch Complex had grown to 1,529 acres. Reporting of acres will change in the next operational shift after all new incidents are incorporated into Rough Patch.

Across the Rough Patch Complex, firefighters and equipment operators are working on handline, brushing, mastication and dozer work. Aviation resources provided aerial suppression support.

WEATHER: Weather today will be warmer than yesterday, with high temperatures in the mid-80s. Humidity will be in the mid-30% range today. Warmer and drier weather is forecast for early next week, with highs over 100 degrees.

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