SLCFR News

Archie Creek and Thielsen Fires Update October 4, 2020

Incident Commander Mike Dueitt

Hours: 8 am-8 pm

Special Notes: Smoldering logs and stumps in the interior of the fire will continue to put up smoke until winter rains end the fire season. Firefighters are patrolling the fire and will extinguish any hot spots that pose a threat to containment lines. Haze from California fires may be visible again today.

Areas within the fire perimeter are CLOSED to the public. Only residents and fire personnel are allowed in the area. Entry into the fire area is not only dangerous, but can endanger firefighters and their ability to do their work. Hazards include isolated hot spots and fire, heavy equipment and falling trees.

Today the Southern Area Red Team will meet with Pacific Northwest Team 12 Type 2 incident management team to begin transitioning management of the Archie Creek and Thielsen Fires. In preparation of that, an incident command post is being set up in Glide as the current command post moves out of the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Tomorrow Team 12 will shadow the Red Team and on Tuesday they will assume command of the fires.

Archie Creek Fire: The Archie Creek Fire is east of Roseburg in the North Umpqua corridor on state, private and federal land. It has burned 131,542 acres and is 86 percent contained. There are currently 605 personnel assigned. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Personnel and Equipment: 16 Type 2 hand crews, 2 helicopters, 1 fixed wing air attack, 23 engines, 14 bulldozers, 9 water tenders, 3 masticators, 2 skidgines, 11 excavators, 6 chippers and 2 dump trucks.

The Southern Area Red Team continues to manage Archie Creek Fire operations on Umpqua National Forest lands and Oregon and California (O&C) lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, while a Douglas Forest Protective Association local Type 3 incident management team, with Incident Commander Paul Ritter, continues to mop up and patrol firelines on private lands. The teams work collaboratively to protect homes, timber and other values.

Fire behavior will be minimal today as smoldering in stumps, dead trees and logs continues. Creeping fire may occur in areas where trees have dropped their needles or leaves, but no fire perimeter growth is expected. Firefighters will continue mopping up some areas, especially where there are indirect firelines, containment lines set back from the fire’s edge where burnable vegetation is between the fire and containment line. This is in the Zig Zag Creek and Trapper Creek areas on the northeast flank of the fire and steep areas in the southeast and south flanks. Firefighters are mostly transitioning to patrol. The largest remaining task is removing hazard trees along Rock Creek Road, Wright Creek and the Cool Water area to make these areas safe. As work is completed, firefighters and equipment are being released from the fire.

Crews will continue with suppression repair on Umpqua National Forest and Bureau of Land Management-managed lands. Chippers, excavators and dump trucks are repairing damage caused by fighting the fire, not for damage from the fire itself. Examples of suppression repair work in progress are installing water bars on firelines for proper drainage, especially on steep slopes. Crews are chipping brush along drainage ditches and hauling out trees felled to construct firelines. Suppression repair work is done in concert with agency resource advisors to meet resource protection standards.

Thielsen Fire: The Thielsen Fire is located five miles north of Crater Lake near Diamond Lake Resort. It has burned 9,975 acres and is 71 percent contained. There are currently 192 personnel assigned. Cause: unknown.

Personnel and Equipment: 3 Type 2 hand crews, 1 helicopter, 4 engines, 3 bulldozers, 6 water tenders, 2 skidders, 1 masticator, 4 excavators, 1 tub grinder and 5 dump trucks.

The fire continues to smolder in large stumps and deep duff with some isolated single tree torching. Yesterday fire crews conducted mop up and suppression repairs along containment lines. Today, mop up and suppression repairs will continue, and firefighters will continue improving a shaded fuel break along Forest Service Road 60.

Help for Fire Victims: Information on disaster aid and organizations helping victims of the Archie Creek Fire can be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7176/57029/

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.

Air quality: See the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality at http://www.oregon.gov/deq

Closures:

• Roads – Highway 138E is open, but delays should be expected. The route to Miller Lake via FS Road 9772 remains closed from the intersection with Hwy. 97 to the intersection with FS Road 110 due to firefighter traffic. Drivers are being directed to take FS Road 9774 to connect with FS Road 110 as an alternative route. See www.tripcheck.com for updates on highway closures.

• Bureau of Land Management – All BLM-managed lands in the Swiftwater Resource Area east of the Willamette Meridan, Range 3 and 4 boundary line, and north of Little River Road are closed. This includes Rock Creek Road from the end of Douglas County road maintenance to the boundary of the Roseburg and Northwest Oregon BLM District line, and all BLM recreation sites in the closure boundary, including Rock Creek, Lone Pine, Millpond, Scaredman and Susan Creek campgrounds, and all BLM day use areas within the closure area. Cavitt Creek Falls Campground is closed for the season. For more information, see https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7176/57115/

• Umpqua National Forest – sections of the North Umpqua (North Umpqua Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-01-20-425) and Diamond Lake Districts (Diamond Lake Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-03-20-426) remain under a fire closure order. Umpqua Hot Springs, fire lookouts, cabins and group picnic sites remain closed. Diamond Lake Resort and Diamond Lake are now open for public recreation, but Diamond Lake Campground is closed for the rest of the year. North Umpqua District closure: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7176/57090/ and Diamond Lake District closure: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7195/57398/ More information on Forest Service closures is available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices The Umpqua National Forest is currently at Industrial Fire Precaution Level I. The fire danger is Moderate.

Temporary Flight Restriction: There is temporary flight restriction for aircraft, including drones, for the Archie Fire. No temporary flight restriction is in effect for the Thielsen Fire. Wildfires are No Drone Zones. If you fly, we can’t. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org/

Arch

ie Creek Archie Creek and Thielsen Fires Update

September 28, 2020

Unified Incident Commanders Mike Dueitt and Tim Keith

Hours: 8 am-8 pm

Special Notes: Umpqua National Forest announced the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) has been reduced to I with a MODERATE fire danger rating. There are no time restrictions under an IFPL I; however, industrial operators must still have fire tools and a water supply at each operation site. A fire-watch is also required at the end of the operation period. More info: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7176/57088/

 The Umpqua National Forest has also reopened many of their public lands to recreational users. Cottage Grove and Tiller Ranger Districts are open to the public in addition to large portions of North Umpqua and Diamond Lake Districts. Both reserved and first-come, first-served campsites are available in open areas. Due to active fire and fire suppression activities, sections of the North Umpqua and Diamond Lake Districts will remain under a fire closure order. Umpqua Hot Springs, fire lookouts, cabins and group picnic sites will remain closed. See https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7176/57090/ for more information.

Archie Creek Fire: The Archie Creek Fire is east of Roseburg in the North Umpqua corridor on state, private and federal land. It has burned 131,542 acres and is 69 percent contained. There are currently 906 personnel assigned. Cause: under investigation. 

Personnel and Equipment: 21 Type 2 hand crews, 5 helicopters, 1 fixed wing air attack, 65 engines, 17 bulldozers, 21 water tenders, 3 masticators, and 5 skidgeons.

“The fire has not done much the last few days. Today could be a very different day,” said fire behavior analyst Greg Titus. Windier and drier weather and near record high temperatures through Thursday will cause unburned pockets of live and dead vegetation, needle cast and piled logs and stumps on the fire perimeter to burn and produce smoke. With gusty east winds, firefighters are keeping an eye out for increased fire behavior within the interior of the fire and will cool any threats to firelines. No fire growth is expected.

Today firefighters will continue to patrol, mop up, make sure firelines are cold, backhaul fire hose and other equipment and assess and continue suppression repair. Hand crews will construct remaining firelines directly at the fire’s edge, where necessary and accessible. Firefighters continue to protect homes and other buildings throughout the fire, including along Little River Road and they are assessing structure protection for the Bar L subdivision. Other areas protected are Wolf Creek Job Corps, Susan Creek Bridge and communications equipment on Scott Mt. Firefighters will also remove hazard trees along the Rock Creek Road corridor and other roads to make them safe for travel.

Chippers, excavators and dump trucks are on hand to do suppression repair as conditions allow. Suppression repair ensures actions taken to fight the fire do not have long-term impacts on natural resources. Examples of suppression repair work that has begun are installing water bars on firelines (especially on steep slopes) for proper drainage. On Umpqua National Forest and Bureau of Land Management-managed lands, crews are chipping brush along drainage ditches and hauling out trees felled to construct firelines. Suppression repair work is done in concert with agency resource advisors to meet resource protection standards. Fire suppression repair is for damage caused fighting the fire, not for damage from the fire itself.

Thielsen Fire: The Thielsen Fire is located five miles north of Crater Lake near Diamond Lake Resort. It has burned 9,971acres and is 69 percent contained. There are currently 385 personnel assigned. Cause: unknown.

Personnel and Equipment: 9 Type 2 hand crews, 2 helicopters, 13 engines, 6 bulldozers, 9 water tenders and 1 masticator.

Yesterday on the east side of the fire crews continued to construct handlines and mop up where possible. On the west side, crews continued to secure and mop up containment lines. Today, firefighters will pull remaining hose and begin suppression repair where it is safe and secure. Firefighters will improve potential containment contingency lines along Forest Service Road 60. 

Help for Fire Victims: Information on disaster aid and organizations helping victims of the Archie Creek Fire can be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7176/57029/

 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.

Air quality: See the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality at http://www.oregon.gov/deq

Closures:

• Roads – Highway 138E is open, but delays should be expected. The route to Miller Lake via FS Road 9772 remains closed from the intersection with Hwy. 97 to the intersection with FS Road 110 due to firefighter traffic. Drivers are being directed to take FS Road 9774 to connect with FS Road 110 as an alternative route. See www.tripcheck.com for updates on highway closures.

• Bureau of Land Management – Lands east of Interstate 5, in the Swiftwater Resource Area are closed. The Bureau of Land Management will make an announcement later today about revised closures.

• Umpqua National Forest – sections of the North Umpqua (North Umpqua Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-01-20-425) and Diamond Lake Districts (Diamond Lake Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-01-20-424) remain under a fire closure order. Umpqua Hot Springs, fire lookouts, cabins and group picnic sites remain closed. See https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7176/57090/ More information on Forest Service closures are available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices
  

The Umpqua National Forest is currently at Industrial Fire Precaution Level I. The fire danger is Moderate.

Temporary Flight Restriction: There are temporary flight restriction for aircraft, including drones, for the Archie Fire and the Thielsen Fire. Wildfires are a No Drone Zones. If you fly, we can’t. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org/

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.

• Glide Revitalization Committee: https://gliderevitalization.com/

• Glide Helping Hands: 541-733-6860

• Glide Baptist Church: https://www.glidebaptist.org/

• Greater Douglas United Way: https://gduway.org/campaigns/fire-relief-fund/

• Roseburg Rotary: https://www.facebook.com/RoseburgRotary/ and

  https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3D2BEGT2AJBRS&source=url

• Douglas Timber Operators / Umpqua Fisheries Enhancement Derby:

  https://donorbox.org/2020-archie-creek-fire-relief-fund

• Saving Grace: www.savinggrace.info 541-672-3907

• Red Cross: 541-672-6581

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:

• Roads – Highway 138E will open at noon today, but delays should be expected. See www.tripcheck.com for updates on highway closures.

• Bureau of Land Management – All lands east of Interstate 5, within the Swiftwater Resource Area are closed.

• Umpqua National Forest – Maps and closure orders can be found on Inciweb at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7176/.  Additional information on Forest Service closures are available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices Managed lands east of Interstate 5, within the Swiftwater Resource Area are closed.

• Temporary Flight Restriction: There is a temporary flight restriction in effect for the Archie Creek Fire.

I am back from extended medical leave and would like to thank the Board and staff for all their thoughts and messages of support. I will slowly begin resuming normal hours over the next few weeks.

The District would like to again apologize for the technical difficulties and hopes to have them resolved soon. If you would like a copy of the “Draft-Unapproved” minutes, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or contact our main office at 541-942-4493.

Stay Safe, Chief Wooten

Fire danger has been reduced from Extreme to High. This applies within the city limits of Cottage Grove and Creswell. For more information on fire danger outside of city limits please refer to information from the Oregon Department of Forestry by visiting the link HERE.