Single Publication

August 17, 2023

Flat Fire Update 

Size: 33,895  acres

Start Date:  July 15, 2023 

Point of origin: 2 miles southeast of Agness, OR 

Containment: 58% 

Total personnel: 573 

Resources: 21 engines l 11 crews l 3 bulldozers l 20 water tenders l 8 masticators l 4 helicopters  

Highlights: Hot, dry conditions contributed to low rates of fire spread in interior islands of unburned fuels. A small number of torching trees were observed but did not threaten fire lines. Depending on wind direction, smoke may have some limited impact on local communities. All firefighting resources remain engaged, patrolling containment lines, and monitoring isolated heart sources on the edge and in the interior. Attention to wind/slope alignment in drainages and ridge-top winds from the NW that may become gusty is a primary mission. Patrol and mopping up containment line along roads 3680, 3318, and dozer line to Illinois River is near completion. Several crews have been sent to the Six Rivers National Forest to assist with new lightning fires south of the Oregon/California border. Resources from the Southwest Incident Management Team 3 will arrive today, with transfer of command scheduled for Friday morning.   

Today’s Activities:  Visual assessments of the fire perimeter with ground and/or aviation resources continue.  Work is progressing from the 360 road into Meadow Creek drainage. A handline is being constructed across Meadow Creek to the dozer line on the 365 Road. Crews are improving the contingency dozer line along 3680 road with prepping, chipping, and brushing the 310-spur road. Crews will complete the contingency dozer line from the 362 road to Pistol River drainage and tie in with the handline constructed from the dozer line to the west.   Air resources will continue to monitor the fire and will remain available to support initial attack efforts if needed. The objectives for suppressing this fire remain the same and firefighters will continue working towards full containment of the Flat Fire.    

Weather:  The current Excessive Heat Warning expires today. A slight cooling trend is forecast, with higher relative humidity, likely leading to minimally active fire behavior. Cooler temperatures will arrive Friday and over the weekend. This will also allow for humidity to trend higher as well. There is a 5-10% probability of isolated showers or thunderstorms. 

Smoke:  Smoke may be visible from the surrounding areas. The Smoke Outlook is available at:  https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/b74901f7? 

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 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 https://bit.ly/RRSNFAlerts 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:  https://tinyurl.com/currycountyem  

Restrictions: Fire danger is currently extreme; the RRSNF is implementing Level 3 Public Use Restrictions. Level 3 PURs on the Wild Section of the Rogue River have been implemented by the RRSF, Medford BLM and ODF.  More information: https://tinyurl.com/ueuznr6e\