Archie Creek Fire Update September 22, 2020
Unified Incident Commanders Mike Dueitt and Tim Keith
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: 971-334-7674 Hours: 8am-8pm InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7176/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArchieCreekFireInfo/
There are NO Community Meetings scheduled at this time. A meeting for this evening for the Glide community was considered but not scheduled due to COVID-19 safety protocol.
Special Note: The Oregon Department of Transportation announced that Highway 138E (North Umpqua Highway) will open at noon today. Motorists should expect delays of up to 45 minutes as single lane traffic will be escorted by pilot cars in some areas. Due to potential road hazards, motorists should stay in their cars and avoid pulling over and stopping. Despite the highway reopening, the Umpqua National Forest and lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, including all recreational areas between Glide and Diamond Lake, remain closed to the public.
Fire Update: The Archie Creek Fire has burned 131,598 acres and is 44 percent contained. There are currently 1,055 personnel assigned to the fire.
Yesterday’s fire behavior was limited to smoldering and creeping, so firefighters continued to make good progress building and strengthening firelines and mopping up. Water drops from a helicopter were used to help firefighters contain a half-acre fire discovered Sunday outside the perimeter of the Archie Fire, about two miles north of its northeast flank in the Pass Creek area off the 22.1 Road. Crews will continue to work on the holdover fire today. A helicopter also dropped fire retardant on the southern part of the fire in the Thunder Mountain area. Helicopters will be available for fire suppression again today, if needed.
Fire behavior is expected to be minimal again today and firefighters will take advantage of that by constructing firelines as close to the fire’s edge as possible, getting ready for gusty southwest winds forecasted for tomorrow in advance of a frontal system expected to drop 0.5 to 0.7 inches of rain on the fire Wednesday evening through Friday.
An infrared flight taken yesterday showed scattered hot spots throughout the fire. Firefighters will focus on cooling hot spots near containment lines and continuing to build, connect and strengthen firelines. Specific areas of concern are on the south, east, and north edges of the fire. In the south, this includes areas around Little River and Thunder Mountain roads to Highway 138. In the east, mop up continues in three areas where the fire burned over containment lines in the Panther Creek (4714) Road area west of Highway 138. In the north, firefighters will go directly to the fire’s edge in the Zag Creek area to cut off several fingers of fire.
Fire hose has been placed all around the fire helps cool areas near containment lines. Hand crews continue to arrive to help increase containment. Mop up is occurring all around the fire, especially around structures in Glide, Idleyld Park and Rock Creek. Firefighters are protecting homes and other buildings in all areas of the fire, including along Little River Road and will work into the evening to ensure structures are safe. They are also assessing structure protection for the Bar L subdivision. Other areas of special protection include the Wolf Creek Job Corps, Susan Creek Bridge, communications equipment on Scott Mountain and the Big Tree area. The Big Tree is still standing and the area around it was not affected by the fire. Firefighters will install a sprinkler system in the Big Tree area to protect it and will continue to remove live and dead vegetation around the Job Corps to reduce fire risk.
The fire has backed down to the North Umpqua River on the east flank and firefighters are monitoring it there. Fire scars are helping check fire progression in the southeastern edge of the fire and firefighters are using old timber sale roads (600 series) to contain the fire in that area.
North of Highway 138E, in the Steamboat area, firefighters and heavy equipment continue to work along Canton Creek Road to Trapper Creek to improve contingency firelines in case the fire crosses primary firelines.
As containment increases in some areas, firefighters will backhaul equipment, grade roads and begin to assess what actions they need to take to repair damage from building firelines and suppressing the fire. This is to ensure fireline construction and other suppression actions do not have long-lasting impacts to natural resources.
Personnel and Equipment: 23 Type 2 hand crews, 3 helicopters, 76 engines, 43 bulldozers, 50 water tenders, 9 masticators and 5 skidgeons.
Help for Fire Victims: Information on disaster aid can be found at https://wildfire.oregon.gov/ The following agencies and organizations are helping those who were affected by this fire and are accepting donations.
Evacuations, shelter areas: An interactive map of the current evacuation area can be found at www.dcso.com/evacuations. For more evacuation information, visit the Douglas County Sheriff website www.dcso.com/evacuations and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DouglasCoSO
The Douglas County Fairgrounds has full RV spaces, electric hookup spaces and dry camping available. They also have stalls and arenas for livestock and farm animals. Contact Ciera Keith at (541) 440-4394 for more information.
Air quality: See the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality at http://www.oregon.gov/deq
Closures:
A ground ambulance transport in the South Lane County area will cost more than $1,800, and an air ambulance more than $18,000, unless you have FireMed! Health insurance may cover 20-50%.