Single Publication

Size: 34,242 acres

Start Date:  July 15, 2023

Point of origin: 2 miles southeast of Agness, OR

Containment: 58%

Total personnel: 434 

Resources: 11 crews l 3 helicopters l 17 engines l 3 bulldozers l 16 water tenders l 4 masticators 

Highlights: The Initial Attack (IA) group staged at the Old Mill Camp responded to two new starts due to Thursday’s thunderstorm activity. The Barklow Fire is estimated at 5-10 acres and is located within the Copper Salmon Wilderness. Additionally, IA crews responded to the Cedar Fire, near the south end of the Grassy Knob Wilderness. That fire is reportedly 1.5 acres. Firefighters started working their way in to both fires on Friday and continue to support the local forest with suppression activities in the area. The IA group consists of several engines, hand crews, and overhead. 

Today’s Activities: The north and northeast sides of the fire remain a priority as work continues along the Illinois Trail to clear up any hazard trees which pose a threat to the trail. Crews continue to rehab dozer and hand line near Oak Creek Camp to help stabilize the area and make it safer in advance of any potential precipitation. Resources remain engaged with suppression repair within the Raspberry Mountain area working on repairing and stabilizing dozer line used as part of suppression efforts. Also, along the northeast side, crews resumed working to clear culverts debris from mastication work. This repair work is an important piece of suppression efforts to help minimize and restore fire impacts to natural resources and lands after fire suppression activities. In Agness, engines are patrolling within the area to maintain a presence and address any questions from the community. Additionally, around the perimeter of the fire, air and ground resources are monitoring containment lines along with the open section of line along the eastern flank for any remaining heat. They continue to work hotspots as necessary.

Weather:  Temperatures will be cooler with higher humidity today. This is the start of a cooling trend and higher relative humidity that will continue through the weekend and is expected to assist firefighting efforts.

Smoke:  Smoke from the surrounding areas/fires may be visible and impact local communities as winds dictate. The Smoke Outlook is available at:  Current Smoke Outlook for SW Oregon/NW California (wildlandfiresmoke.net)

Closures:  U.S. Highway 199 has been closed north of Gasquet due to fires on the Six River National Forest, please use U.S. Route 101 to SR 42s for all travel to and from the Rogue Valley. Forest Service and BLM roads, including Bear Camp Road, should not be used as alternate routes due to emerging fire activity. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest (RRSNF) has issued a closure order for the fire area including trails, roads, and a portion of the Illinois River. Visit Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest - Alerts & Notices (usda.gov) for more information.

Evacuations:  Level 1 “Get Ready” evacuation status in place for areas in the vicinity of the Flat Fire. Link to more information:  Welcome to Curry County, OR

Restrictions: Fire danger is currently extreme; the RRSNF is implementing Level 3 Public Use Restrictions (PUR). Level 3 PURs on the Wild Section of the Rogue River have been implemented by the RRSF, Medford BLM and ODF.  More information: Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest - News & Events (usda.gov)
https://www.co.curry.or.us/departments/emergency_management/index.php