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A community meeting will be held Tuesday, September 19, 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 Anvil and Flat Fires.

Anvil Fire

Size: 7,681 acres                            

Start Date:  August 25, 2023      

Location:  8 miles east of Port Orford, OR

Containment:  0%         

Total personnel:  684                  

Resources:  9 crews, 4 helicopters, 10 engines

Fire crews, heavy equipment, and aviation resources took advantage of favorable weather conditions yesterday.  Many operational missions were successfully completed, aided by increased personnel.  Fire engines including night shift resources activated water pumps and sprinklers near homes to increase humidity levels and reduce the likelihood of ignition of adjacent fuels.  Hand crews began a burning operation on Grassy Knob towards the Fish Hatchery and Elk River Road to reduce vegetation and create a defensible containment line in advance of a forecasted Red Flag Warning for high winds. 

When smoke lifted yesterday afternoon, helicopters dropped over 45,000 gallons of water in support of firefighters on the ground.  Bulldozers completed primary and contingency containment lines in strategic areas, where terrain is suitable for their use and has a higher chance of successfully slowing fire spread if the fire reaches the lines. Crews will continue to work as late into the night as necessary to safely and effectively limit the spread of the fire, especially to the west and north. Roadways and natural features, including the Elk River and adjacent road, are being identified as probable containment lines by firefighters as they strategically evaluate the best tactics for full suppression of the fire. The number of resources assigned to the fire has increased, including medical personnel to be on site in the event of any injury or accident involving firefighters working in the extremely challenging wilderness terrain.

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:  102                   

Resources:  2 crews, 3 helicopters, 5 engines

All suppression repair efforts on contingency containment lines are projected to be completed by Wednesday. Fire engines will continue to 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 for the fire area from Sunday at midnight through Monday at 9 AM. 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.

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.

Facebook: facebook.com/flatfireoregon2023