Incident Publication

 Fire Update for Thursday, August 26, 2021                                     Fire Information:  503-867-7924

Overall Objective:  The Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fire are being managed under a full suppression strategy using containment and confinement tactics to minimize fire spread to prevent loss of valuable resources.  Leaders’ intent is to not allow the fire to progress to the west and to protect private structures throughout the fire area by using the PACE model – Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency control Lines and to keep the fires as small as possible while working toward full containment.

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

·         UPDATE to BLM Roseburg District fire closure.  The Francis Creek Road area and Scaredman Campground are again under a closure order due to potential fire activity, and to keep the area clear for firefighting operations.

·         The Umpqua and Willamette National Forests have area closure orders to encompass the Rough Patch, Jack, Archie Creek, and Devil's Knob Fire Areas.  The closure includes Canton Creek Campground, Musick Guard Station, and Cover Campground. 

·         Highway 138 between Roseburg and Diamond Lake and Crater Lake remains open.  Slow down and be alert while passing through the fire area. 

Chaos and Little Bend Fires:  Securing the west side of the Chaos is progressing well – burnout operations are complete on this flank of the fire and firefighters are focused on holding the fire in place to prevent spread to the west.  The primary containment lines of these fires lay on the west and northwest flanks.  Crews are working to the north from Canton Point through Shane Saddle and onto Bohemia Mountain to construct fire line to secure the Chaos fire from moving to the northwest.  Additional work is being done on the southeast side of the Chaos fire to prevent the fire from moving south then to the west.  On the Little Bend Fire, the west mid-section of the fire is contained and holding well.  Containment lines are complete between the Chaos and the Little Bend Fire and being reinforced with burning out of the fuels between the fires.

Jack and Buckhead Fires:  The Jack Fire has containment lines that are holding on the west, north, and east flanks of the fires and these lines account for a large amount of containment of the fire.  The Buckhead fire has burned into the Jack fire to the north - fire crews are patrolling these flanks and taking action to hold the lines as necessary.  The southwest and south flanks of the fire are seeing moderate fire behavior – tactics on these flanks include direct dozer line, the construction of primary and alternate contingency lines using the road system, building and reinforcing contingency lines and conducting burnout operations as opportunities arise. 

Near Minky Fire:  This fire lays south of the Jack and Buckhead Fires.  The east flank of the fire has been contained. The nearby Smith Fire that is part of the Devil’s Knob Complex is actively growing to the northeast into Ash Valley.  Because of this, additional firefighting resources have been moved into the area to assist in containing the Smith Fire while looking for opportunities to construct containment lines for both the Smith and Near Minky Fires.  The Near Minky Fire is at 0% containment.

Weather:  Winds over all the fires are predominately out of the northwest.  As smoke clears, fire activity is expected to increase. Gust up to 18 mph can further promote fire spread.  Afternoon relative humidity is expected to be in the mid- 20s to the upper 30s which will also promote elevated burning conditions. 

Fire Update for Friday, August 27, 2021                                              Fire Information:  503-867-7924

Overall Objective:  The Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fire are being managed under a full suppression strategy using containment and confinement tactics to minimize fire spread to prevent loss of valuable resources.  Leaders’ intent is to not allow the fire to progress to the west and to protect private structures throughout the fire area by using the PACE model – Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency control Lines and to keep the fires as small as possible while working toward full containment.

Chaos and Little Bend Fires:  The Chaos fire is at 13,529 acres and the Little Bend Fire is at 6,208 acres.  Securing the west side of the Chaos is progressing well – burnout operations are complete on this flank and firefighters are focused on holding the fire in place to prevent spread to the west.  The primary containment lines of these fires lay on the west and northwest flanks.  Crews worked to the north from Canton Point through Shane Saddle to burnout the containment line to prevent the fire from moving to the west-northwest.  Fire line construction from Shane Saddle to Bohemia Mountain will continue today to secure the Chaos fire from moving to the northwest.  Additional work is being done on the southeast side of the Chaos fire to prevent the fire from moving south, then to the west.  On the Little Bend Fire the west mid-section of the fire is contained and holding well.  Primary containment lines are complete between the Chaos and the Little Bend Fire and being reinforced with burning out of the fuels between the fires.  Alternate containment lines are being improved along the south flank of the fire as well.

Jack and Buckhead Fires:  The Jack Fire is at 23,853 acres and the Buckhead fire is at 3,003 acres.  The Jack Fire has containment lines that are holding on the west, north, and northeast flanks of the fires - these lines account for a large amount of containment of the fire.  The Buckhead fire has burned into the Jack fire to the north - fire crews are patrolling these flanks and taking action to hold the lines as necessary.  The southwest and south flanks of the fire are seeing moderate fire behavior – tactics on these flanks include direct dozer line, the construction of primary and alternate contingency lines using the road system, building, and reinforcing contingency lines and conducting burnout operations as opportunities arise.

Near Minky Fire:  The Near Minky Fire is at 4,387 acres.  This fire lays south of the Jack and Buckhead Fires.  The east flank of the fire and a portion of the west flank of the fire has been contained. The nearby Smith Fire that is part of the Devil’s Knob Complex is actively growing to the northeast in the Ash Valley area.  Because of this, additional firefighting resources have been moved to the area to assist in containing the Smith Fire while looking for opportunities to construct containment lines for both the Smith and Near Minky Fires.

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

·         UPDATE to BLM Roseburg District fire closure.  The Francis Creek Road area and Scaredman Campground are again under a closure order due to potential fire activity, and to keep the area clear for firefighting operations.

·         The Umpqua and Willamette National Forests have area closure orders to encompass the Rough Patch, Jack, Archie Creek, and Devil's Knob Fire Areas.  The closure includes Canton Creek Campground, Musick Guard Station, and Cover Campground. 

·         Highway 138 between Roseburg and Diamond remains open.  Slow down and be alert. 

Weather:  Increased winds from the northwest will promote active fire behavior.  As smoke clears, fire activity is expected to increase. Wing gust up to 20 mph and relative humidity in the mid- 20s to the upper 30s will promote fire spread.

Smoke Outlook - South Oregon Cascades, August 27-28, 2021

Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 1 took command of the Rough Patch Complex/Jack Fire at 6:00 a.m. this morning. There is a new number for Fire Information: 541-482-1331

South Oregon Cascades Rough Patch & Devils Knob Complex, and Jack Fire 
 
Issued at: 2021-08-28 07:41 PDT
 
Weather and Fire: Winds throughout the fire area will be light from the northeast this morning becoming stronger N to NW this afternoon. Expect similar winds tomorrow. Higher temperatures and lower relative humidities will prevail through Sunday. Up to 4,000 acres of fire growth is occurring daily. Rough Patch Complex, Jack Fire, and Devils Knob Complex fire information can be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov

Smoke: Smoke conditions today will be similar to yesterday. As fire behavior increases with the higher temps and lower humidities additional smoke may impact the forecast area. North and northwest winds will push smoke toward Shady Cove and Medford. Grants Pass and Roseburg may have significant haze through the weekend with N winds bringing smoke from WA to the area this afternoon.
 
Health: Breathing smoke is a health concern. Certain individuals are especially sensitive to smoke including: older adults, children, people with heart or lung disease (including asthma), pregnant women and the unborn child. These sensitive groups as a whole are at greater risk to lower levels of air pollution as compared to healthy individuals. For information on how to protect your health search for Public Health Oregon Wildfire Smoke.

South Oregon Cascades Rough Patch & Devils Knob Complex, and Jack Fire 
 
Issued at: 2021-08-29 07:31 PDT
 
Weather and Fire: 

Light northeast winds in the morning will become northwest in the afternoon today with similar winds tomorrow. The increase in fire behavior observed yesterday should continue today with higher temperatures and lower humidities than were seen earlier in the week. Fire fighting personnel are scouting for containment lines, conducting burn outs, and mopping up and patrolling cooler edges of the fires. Incident specific information can be found on Inciweb.

Smoke: 

Grants Pass, Roseburg, and Medford air quality will improve when winds shift to the NW. Smoke will again pool overnight. Monday areas west of the crest will remain mostly clear. In general, areas SE of the fires will have unhealthy air in the afternoons. Medford will have unhealthy conditions this morning that should clear with the NW winds.

Health: 

Consider watching the Fire and Smoke Map on your mobile device or computer to monitor air quality throughout the day. Limit outside physical exertion when the air quality is unhealthy. Improve air quality in your house by keeping your air conditioner on recirculation. Limit indoor air pollution when outside air quality is poor by avoiding vacuuming, burning candles or incense, and frying food.

Summary: The Rough Patch Complex and Jack fire are being managed under a full suppression strategy using direct and indirect tactics to minimize fire spread to prevent loss of valuable resources. The Rough Patch consists of four fires: Chaos, Little Bend, Buckhead and Near Minky.  

Chaos and Little Bend Fires: The Chaos fire is at 16,539 acres and the Little Bend fire is at 6,717 acres. Fireline on the west side of the Chaos fire continues to hold. Today crews will be prepping the north end of Chaos fire to conduct additional burning operations as weather and fuel conditions allow. Structure protection needs are being evaluated north of the Chaos fire near the Bohemia Mine. Yesterday the southern edge of the Chaos fire was active along the 3821; crews were busy mopping up from previous days burning with support from aircraft doing water drops. Today, they will continue improving line south toward the Little Bend fire and prepping for burning operations with the goal of securing the southern end of the Chaos into the western end of the Little Bend fire in the coming days.

Jack and Buckhead Fires: The Jack fire is at 23,884 acres and the Buckhead fire is at 3,286 acres. The west, north, and northeast end of the Jack fire has been contained and is being patrolled. Fire crews continue to improve fire line on the southwest section of the Jack fire where it meets the Buckhead fire. Today’s operations include improving line for future burning operations along the southwestern border when conditions are favorable.

Near Minky Fire: The Near Minky fire is at 4,676 acres. This fire is located south of the Jack and Buckhead fires. The eastern edge and a portion of the western edge have been contained. The focus is now on the northwest corner and the southern end of the Near Minky fire. Northern Rockies Team 1 and Florida Red Team are working on a joint strategy for the Near Minky and Smith fires to limit western spread and share resources.

Weather: Temperatures will be slightly cooler than yesterday with relative humidity in the mid-20’s. Northeast winds will switch to northwest in the afternoon, the same as yesterday. This weather has the potential to increase fire activity on both the Rough Patch Complex and the Jack fire. Expect dense smoke in the lower elevations until the afternoon when winds shift to the north.

Closures and Additional Information:  

Weather and Fire: Clouds from the marine layer overnight will linger until early afternoon. Winds in the drainages will be terrain driven both today and Tuesday with northwest winds on the upper slopes and ridges after 1500. A short term increase or surge in fire fighting personnel will allow for increased burn out operations over the next few days. Fire fighters will continue to mop up and patrol cooler edges of the fires and scout for additional containment opportunities. Incident specific information can be found on Inciweb and Facebook.
 Smoke: The pattern of NW winds will keep air quality in Roseburg and Grants Pass good to moderate. Communities close to the fires will have unhealthy air quality throughout the day and overnight. Smoke in the drainages will tend to flow down drainage until around early afternoon, then shift to up drainage. An increased scale in burnouts today and tomorrow may increase smoke impacts to the forecast area.
 Health:  Consider creating a low cost clean room in your house. Utilize a box fan with a HEPA filter taped to it. Keep the door closed as much as possible. If you are driving, keep your air conditioner set to recirculate. For more information visit the Wildfire and Your Health link under additional links near the bottom of this Outlook.

Summary: The Rough Patch Complex and Jack fire are being managed under a full suppression strategy using direct and indirect tactics to minimize fire spread to prevent loss of valuable resources. The Rough Patch consists of four fires: Chaos, Little Bend, Buckhead and Near Minky. Increased fire activity was observed across all fires yesterday.  

Chaos and Little Bend Fires: The Chaos fire is at 17,688 acres and the Little Bend fire is at 6,862 acres. Fireline on the west side of the Chaos fire continues to hold. Yesterday, aircraft assisted with two spots across the road – the 3828 on the north side of the Chaos and the 3821 road along the southern boundary. Both spots were estimated at 3-5 acres. Crews will continue working them today, as well as holding and improving the southern boundary. Burning operations last night worked on completing the last section of direct fire line between Chaos and Little Bend on the 3821 road. 

Jack and Buckhead Fires: The Jack fire is at 23,922 acres and the Buckhead fire is at 3,286 acres. The west, north, and northeast end of the Jack fire has been contained and is being patrolled. Crews are preparing the 2781 road for additional burning operations to bring fire from the Buckhead fire down to the Near Minky.
 
Near Minky Fire: The Near Minky fire is at 4,741 acres. This fire is located south of the Jack and Buckhead fires. The eastern edge and a portion of the western edge have been contained. Northern Rockies Team 1 and the Florida Red Team continue to work closely together to address concerns with the Smith fire to the south 

Weather: Cooler weather is in the forecast for this week with temperatures in the 70’s. Northeast winds will be light, switching to northwest in the afternoon. Expect dense smoke in the lower elevations until the afternoon when winds shift to the north.

Closures and Additional Information:  

• KNOW BEFORE YOU GO! Closure information can be found on InciWeb under the “Closures” tab
• Level IV Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) is in effect for the Umpqua National Forest:  https://bit.ly/3t0RW59 
• Public Use Restriction Level 3 – Fire Restrictions in effect on the Umpqua National Forest: https://bit.ly/3sTAsaY
• Level III IFPL is in effect in Douglas Forest Protective Association areas: https://bit.ly/38kdzUG
• Temporary flight restrictions can be found here: tfr.faa.gov
• Air quality and smoke monitoring can be found at https://www.wildlandfiresmoke.us/
• No Drone Zone! If you fly, we can’t! Visit knowbeforeyoufly.org 

South Oregon Cascades Rough Patch & Devils Knob Complex, and Jack Fire Issued at: 2021-08-31 07:37 PDT.
Weather and Fire:  Light downslope/downvalley winds overnight will transition to light upslope/upvalley winds in the fire area around noon today. Gusty winds over ridges from the NW may start over the fire area around noon. The Rough Patch Complex is 33,845 acres and 15% contained. The Jack fire is 23,976 acres and 53% contained. The Devils Knob Complex is 36,549 acres and 25% contained. Crews continue to scout for control lines, burn out areas to increase containment, and mop up and patrol cooler areas of the fire perimeters.
 Smoke: Yesterday westerly winds kept smoke out of Roseburg and Grants Pass, and improved air quality in Medford. Today N to NW winds should also keep unhealthy smoke out of Medford. Air quality in Shady Cove should degrade during the day and start improving this evening. Communities east of the fires will have periods of unhealthy to hazardous air quality through the day. The clearest air in Chiloquin should occur mid morning to early afternoon.
 Health: Everyone should limit their exposure to smoke for their health. Pay attention to local air quality reports. If you are advised to stay indoors, keep inside air as clean as possible. Do not add to indoor air pollution. If you need to be outside when air quality is unhealthy limit physical exertion and wear an N95 mask. Visit Wildfire Smoke and Your Health link below.