Category Archives: Forest Fires

A wildfire that flared up in the Applegate Valley near Williams Tuesday evening grew to more than five dozen acres as of Wednesday afternoon. The Panther Gulch Fire is estimated at 70 acres and 15% contained, according to ODF Southwest Oregon reports, which add that crews have managed to get a line around the entire fire. The wildfire was first reported just before 6 p.m. Tuesday, when a large plume of smoke was spotted just above Panther Gulch Road, according to ODF spokeswoman Natalie Weber. Crews from ODF, Applegate Valley Fire District and Williams Fire Rescue were called out to the scene, sending four helicopters, five single-engine air tankers, two large air tankers and an attack plane to battle the fire until sunset.

Crews battling the Milepost 97 fire in Douglas County are making headway against the blaze, but gaining the upper hand will add more smoke to the Rogue Valley’s forecasts. As fire crews began an offensive attack on the blaze burning near Canyonville Wednesday afternoon with a burnout operation, local meteorologists and public health officials warn of continued smoke in the Rogue Valley for at least the remainder of the week. The National Weather Service office in Medford says the greatest smoke impacts — consisting of diminished air quality and visibility — will be along the Interstate 5 corridor between Canyonville to Grants Pass, with other areas impacted including the Rogue Valley from Grants Pass to Ashland and the Applegate and Illinois valleys into northern California. For the remainder of the week, officials recommend keeping windows closed, keeping inside air as clean as possible and avoiding vigorous outdoor activities.

The Tucker fire in Modoc County has burned more than 14,000 acres with 10% reported containment, making it the largest wildfire in California so far this year, officials said Tuesday. Officials with Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service said the fire started in rural northeastern California on Sunday afternoon off California Highway 139 and Tucker Butte Road, about six miles southwest of Clear Lake Reservoir. The fire, which is believed to have been caused unintentionally by humans, grew 10,000 acres in one day. The latest reported acreage of the blaze is 14,419 , making it the biggest active fire burning in the state and the largest in California so far in 2019. No homes are threatened and no evacuations have been ordered as of Tuesday afternoon, but affected residents in the County Road 114/202, Coyote Butte, Horse Mountain area have been issued a warning that they will be contacted if an evacuation is necessary.

What began as an illegal campfire exploded across Douglas County, Oregon, late last week, burning 11,000 acres in its first four days. People in the Oregon communities of Glendale and Azalea were preparing to evacuate Sunday night. …more than 500 people crowded into the Glendale High School gym Sunday — a huge turnout for a town with a population of 887. They came to listen to fire managers and ask how bad things might get. As of 10 p.m. Sunday, the Milepost 97 Fire threatened 586 structures and critical infrastructure. …“We have a major highway artery, Interstate 5, power lines that serve Medford and Grants Pass, and we have a natural gas pipeline through the heart of this fire. To the north are the communications that serve Douglas County’s southern end, the sheriff and the 911 system … [and] a water intake supply for the City of Canyonville,” explained Douglas Forest Protective Association District Manager Patrick Skrip. 

The Medford Airtanker Base’s large air tanker was grounded this morning due to low-lying smoke from the Milepost 97 fire near Canyonville. The Erickson DC-7 air tanker was able to lift off this afternoon to aid firefighters on the ground. The DC-7 can drop 3,000-gallon loads of fire retardant or water. The plane flew five missions from about 9:45 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday. Early on, the smoke column from the fire was billowing into the sky, said Tyler Hoffer, Oregon Department of Forestry assistant tanker manager to the DC-7. “It started out relatively clear because the column was standing up. And then it started degrading over time. Smoke started laying down over the fire,” Hoffer said. The DC-7 was joined by two smaller air tankers that can each carry 650-750 gallons of retardant or water at a time. .

Smoke from the wildfire raging 70 miles north in Canyonville continued to pour into the Rogue Valley over the weekend, with no letup in sight. The Milepost 97 fire continued its march southward, growing from 8,878 to 11,009 acres from Saturday to Sunday and threatening 586 structures. “This is one of the most difficult fires we’ve dealt with,” said Joe Touchstone, a public information officer with the Oregon Department of Forestry, which took control of fire operations on Friday. Last night, sparks from a burning tree that fell down ignited spot fires across the freeway, with firefighters rushing to mop them up. Despite the terrain, strong winds and the reduced visibility, ODF has the fire 5 percent contained.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Anxious residents packed up prized possessions Tuesday as hundreds of firefighters worked to keep a wildfire in a forested Arizona city away from homes and hoped the weather might bring some relief. About two dozen homes have been evacuated in Flagstaff, a popular mountain getaway in the largest Ponderosa pine forest in the U.S. Residents of another 5,000 homes have been told to be prepared to flee the fire in Coconino National Forest. …Another wildfire was burning near a nuclear energy research site in Idaho, prompting the evacuation of non-essential employees mainly because of wind changes and smoke. …In Arizona, firefighters were expecting much-needed rain along with erratic winds at times that could shift the direction of the fire.

PRESCOTT, Ariz. – A wildfire burning in central Arizona is forcing evacuations in a remote area near Prescott National Forest in Arizona, the US Forest Service said. The Cellar Fire has burned nearly 7,000 acres in an area located about 16 miles south of Prescott, and it was 0% contained as of Thursday, fire officials said. Firefighters have been trying to contain the fire since a lightning strike ignited it on Sunday, the forest service said. A mandatory evacuation was issued Thursday for residents in Pine Flat, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s office said. Several communities in Yavapai County were getting ready for possible evacuations.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Fire Season has had a relatively slow start in Oregon this year thanks to “favorable” conditions, but the state of Alaska has not been so lucky. As a result, forestry crews that were busy containing wildfires close to home by this time in 2018 have taken their talents up north, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. “ODF leadership selected personnel from areas where current conditions and available resources allow for the opportunity to send help to our Alaskan partners while ensuring capacity to respond to any local fires on the home front,” the agency said. …There are currently 28 ODF firefighters in Alaska — 20 initial attack crew members and eight “overhead,” or administrative roles.

The Cellar Fire, burning about 16 miles south of Prescott, had burned about 6,450 acres as of Wednesday evening, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman said Wednesday morning. That figure was revised from the estimated 7,000 acres earlier in the day. The Cellar Fire was ignited by a lightning strike around 5 p.m. Sunday, growing quickly after Tuesday’s warm weather and lower humidity, said Gabrielle Kenton, a Cellar Fire public information officer.  As of Wednesday morning, the fire was 0% contained, and Kenton said the fire could grow faster if wind conditions in the area pick up. The fire was not posing a threat to any human structures or power lines, Kenton said. As a precaution a Code Red was issued for the community. …Quite a bit of smoke and haze will be visible in the area of Prescott Valley for the next couple of days, Kenton said. 

The Kaibab National Forest is planning to allow the lightning-caused Castle Fire on the North Kaibab Ranger District to continue growing within a defined area. Officials said in a written statement the fire will be allowed to fulfill its natural role of reducing dense forest fuels and improving overall ecosystem health. While currently only about an acre in size, fire managers expect the Castle Fire to grow quickly this week given anticipated dry and windy weather conditions. The fire is located about 11 miles south of Jacob Lake.  It was first discovered on July 12. It’s burning in an area that has a significant amount of dead and down trees as well as heavy mixed conifer species. …The Castle Fire poses no danger to structures or other local infrastructure…but it may produce a lot of smoke.

Thousands of residents and visitors on Hawaii‘s Maui Island were ordered to evacuate two communities on Thursday as a spreading wildfire sent smoke billowing high into the sky, officials and local media said. The 3,000 acre brush fire in Maui’s central valley was uncontrolled Thursday night, Maui Mayor Mike Victorino told a news conference. He said firefighters would monitor it overnight but that it was too dangerous to battle the blaze in the dark. “We can’t fight the fire tonight,” he said. “We’re not going to send any firefighters into harm’s way.” …While thousands were ordered evacuated, it was unclear how many people fled the west Maui coastal communities of Maalaea and Kihei. But three shelters housed about 500 people late Thursday, media reports said.