Single Publication

Flat Fire Activity

Size: 34,242 acres             Start Date:  July 15, 2023                Point of origin: 2 miles southeast of Agness, OR

Containment: 70%           Total personnel: 421

Resources: 5 crews, 3 helicopters, 12 engines, 12 water tenders, 12 pieces of heavy equipment

The Flat Fire is now 70% contained. Fire managers flew a reconnaissance flight yesterday, and the fire remains within the current fire footprint. However, fuel pockets continue to burn out, and there is the potential for some re-burn where vegetation still holds dried leaves. The fire got several showers yesterday and up to ½” of rain and hail on the eastern, uncontained side. Today, crews will continue to take advantage of the favorable weather, cooling hot spots further into the interior. Patrol, monitoring, and suppression repair work continue around the fire perimeter. Initial Attack resources are staged and ready to assist the Forest if needed.

Anvil Fire Activity

Size: 299 acres                   Start Date:  August 25, 2023          Point of origin: 8 miles east of Port Orford, OR                                

Containment: 0%  Total personnel: 120

Resources: 4 crews, 1 helicopter, 5 engines, 2 water tenders, 1 piece of heavy equipment

The Anvil Fire saw less precipitation than the Flat Fire but is creeping and smoldering due to recent rainfall, cooler temperatures, and higher humidity. Still, the weather yesterday prevented a reconnaissance flight from occurring over the Anvil Fire. This flight will occur when conditions allow. The Winema Interagency Hotshot Crew flew a drone yesterday evening to obtain infrared data for more accurate acreage. Some perimeter growth is expected due to rollout but will be limited due to current weather conditions. Rollout is when burning logs, stumps, and other forest debris roll downhill. It can cause spot fires and pose a significant hazard to firefighters. Activity may increase after the weekend as temperatures warm up and conditions dry out. Fire managers continue to assess options for indirect (creating fireline a distance from the fire’s edge with a higher probability of success and lower risk to firefighters), direct attack (building fireline at the fire’s edge), and point protection. Crews are assessing and beginning point protection measures along the Elk River and Sixes River roads. This could include removing vegetation and flammable materials from around houses and other structures and setting up sprinkler systems with hoses and pumps. Property owners can expect to begin seeing firefighters in these areas.

Weather: Temperatures remain near to below normal. However, conditions will warm up over the next few days, and humidity will decrease. This weather change could result in increased fire behavior.

Smoke: The smoke outlook for the Smith River Complex and surrounding fires, including the Flat Fire, can be found at https://tinyurl.com/smokeoutlook. Today, air quality will remain GOOD in much of the forecast area.

Closures: Closures: U.S. Highway 199 has been reopened to all traffic using a pilot car system north of Gasquet to the Oregon border in California. Expect delays on this route. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (RRSNF) has issued a closure order. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/RRSNFAlerts

Evacuations: Level 1 “Get Ready” evacuation status is in place for areas near the Flat Fire. Level 2 “Get Set“ evacuation status is in place along the Elk River from about milepost 4 to the USFS Butler Bar Campground near the Anvil Fire. Visit https://bit.ly/CurryCoEM for more information and to sign up for alerts.

Restrictions: There are currently Level 3 Public Use Restrictions (PUR) in the area. Visit https://bit.ly/RRSNFAlerts for more information. There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the fire areas. Please do not fly unmanned aircraft (drones) in the fire vicinity. If you fly, we can't.