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Klondike Fire West Zone The Fire area received from one to three tenths of an inch of rain yesterday and through the night. Damp conditions will decrease as the system exits. It will still be cool today, with a south-southwest wind that could gust above 10 mph. Firefighters will be checking their work areas to verify where rain actually fell and its effects on local fuels. The Fire’s proximity to the Bear Camp Road (23) in the north, west of Chrome Ridge, and above Horse Sign Creek continue to receive focus today. Firefighters continue to monitor a 1/10-acre spot fire that was detected and suppressed yesterday north of Indigo Creek, just above its confluence with the Illinois River. Road repair and soil protection continues on firelines that are no longer needed. Suppression containment lines are not expected to be challenged today. Cool, humid conditions should last several days before a return to warmer, dryer conditions next week, which will allow fuels to dry again. There is...

Fire The Klondike Fire is 72% contained and 167,033 acres. Fire is most active at the confluence of Indigo Creek and Illinois River, Snail/Slim Creek drainages, Little Silver Creek, and Montana Springs. Smoke Today The fire area received about one-quarter of an inch of rain overnight. While there will be smoke generated in the fire, levels and impacts should be slight today, with most areas remaining at good air quality levels. A predominate Southwest winds will move the smoke that is generated into the Merlin, Grants Pass, and Agness areas. Smoke Tomorrow Conditions are expected to remain cool and humid tomorrow, with some showers possible. Southwest winds will continue to move smoke into the Merlin, Grants Pass, and Agness areas, but impacts are expected to be moderate. All areas should experience good air quality for most of the

Incendio Klondike. Zona Oeste Por la tarde del dia de ayer, la inversion del humo se levanto, mejorando la calidad del aire en Agness y en la zona del Incendio Klondike. El tamano del incendio crecio aproximadamente 3,300 acres. El fuego continua acercandose a la parte Norte de la carretera Bear Camp (23), moviendose hacia al Este cerca de Chrome Ridge y quemandose hacia el area Oeste de Horse Sign. Todo el crecimiento del incendio permanece entre las lineas de contencion de supresion. Los bomberos lograron mantener el fuego en la parte inferior de la carretera Burnt Ridge (23080 y en el area Sur de las lineas de verificacion cerca de Chrome Ridge. Tambien limpiaron la linea directa de contencion que conecta el camino 150 al Norte de Indigo Creek y la confluencia del Rio Illinois. Asi mismo continuan con la reparacion de supresion en las carreteras y lineas de fuego en las areas mas alla de donde se encuentra la actividad del incendio. El dia de hoy, tan pronto como las nubes sigan...

Fuego El fuego Klondike está contenido en un 72% y tiene un tamaño de 167,033 acres. El fuego está más activo en la unión del río Illinois e Indigo Creek, el drenaje de Snail/Slim Creek, Little Silver Creek y Montana Springs. Humo Hoy Las condiciones atmosféricas han cambiado, temperaturas mas frescas y húmedas se han situado sobre el área del fuego. El viento será del suroeste, moviendo un poco de humo hacia los drenajes en el área este de del río Rogue, y hacia el área de Grants Pass y Merlin. Agness puede ver un poco de humo en la tarde, pero las condiciones serán mucho mejor que en lo pasados días. Los vientos del suroeste pueden también mover el humo de los fuegos en el norte de California hacia el área de Medford y Ashland. Humo Mañana Se esperan condiciones continúen siendo frescas y húmedas mañana. Los vientos del suroeste continuará moderado, mientras que la actividad del fuego disminuya por los cambios en los patrones

FireThe Klondike Fire is 72% contained and 167,033 acres. Fire ismost active at the confluence of Indigo Creek and Illinois River,Snail/Slim Creek drainages, Little Silver Creek, and MontanaSprings. Smoke TodayWeather changes have occurred and cooler, more humidconditions have settled over the fire area. Winds will be fromthe Southwest, moving some smoke into Eastern Rogue Riverdrainages and into Grants Pass and Merlin. Agness may havesome afternoon smoke, but conditions will be much improvedfrom the past few days. Southwest winds can potentially movesmoke from Northern California fires into the Medford andAshland areas. Smoke TomorrowConditions are expected to remain cool and humid tomorrow.Southwest winds will continue to move smoke into the Merlin,Grants Pass, and Agness areas, however impacts should bemoderate as fire activity will likely lessen with the changingweather

Klondike Fire West ZoneThe smoke inversion lifted and air quality improved over Agness and the Klondike Fire area late yesterday afternoon, allowing use of helicopter water delivery and reconnaissance opportunities before dark. The fire grew approximately 3,300 acres. It continues to approach the Bear Camp Road (23) in the north, move near Chrome Ridge to the east, and burn in the Horse Sign area on the west. All fire growth remained within suppression containment lines. Firefighters held the Fire below the Burnt Ridge Road (2308) and south of check lines near Chrome Ridge. They mopped up the direct containment line that leads to the 150 Road north of the Indigo Creek / Illinois River confluence. They also continued suppression repairs to roads and firelines in areas away from the active fire. Cool, damp conditions will prevail today as clouds cover the ridges. Spotty, scattered showers are expected to decrease fire behavior, but, in general, the dry fuels will lag behind the air and...

Southern Cascades Interagency Incident Management Team Incident Commander, Neil Miller Incident Commander Trainee, Dirk Rogers September 29, 2018 - 9:00 A.M. Special Announcements: The public is asked to respect the road and area closures for protection to themselves and firefighters. Please refrain from entering the closed areas. The Terwilliger Fire Area Closure implemented August 30th, 2018 by The Willamette National Forest, remains in place and is strictly enforced. Safety of the public and firefighters remains priority directive. Active fire and fire suppression operations continue on the landscape. Violators will be prosecuted Both Forest Service Road (FR) 19 and Terwilliger Hot Springs (also known as Cougar Hot Springs) are within the Terwilliger Area Closure. They remain closed due to unsafe conditions from gravity fall hazards including rocks, debris and fire weakened trees. The closure begins at the junction of FR 410 south to Box Canyon The McKenzie River District is...

CLE ELUM – A group of firefighters and foresters stood outside a home earlier this week and sketched out a hypothetical plan for setting controlled fires to the homeowner’s 20-acre property. They gathered around trainer Ray Guse to learn about the level of detail necessary to draft and execute such a burn plan.

The group was in Central Washington for a two-week program called the Training Exchange (TREX), which combines classroom work with hands-on experience in lighting and managing controlled fires. These prescribed burns help control overgrown vegetation, serving as a crucial tool for protecting communities from uncharacteristically large wildfires, and for restoring healthy forests.

Guse called prescribed burning “an art and a science” – and he would know. He’s overseen controlled burns in forests across the country and helped create the TREX program.

“We have scientific ways of modeling the fire behavior and we have a tremendous amount of experience,” he said. And when it comes time to burn, “we’ve got a lot of options to manage the fire – both in how we ignite it and the day that we choose to ignite it.”

Burn bosses, the professionals leading a burn, also “know before we light the match how much smoke we might put up,” Guse added.

Before the trainees started walking the property, Guse instructed them to gather an abundance of information, including: the slope of the land, the types of vegetation and how they would burn, the water sources, the wind patterns, and the presence of elk trails or dirt roads that could serve as fire lines. When they were done, the trainees headed back to the classroom to mock up a plan, including how to respond swiftly in the rare event that fire escapes the boundaries of the prescribed burn.

In the days that followed, they would also get the chance to participate in a number of controlled burns.

Brenda and Ryan Nash’s Hidden Valley home sits on 20 acres in Kittitas County. TREX participants visited their property Sept. 25, 2018, to practice evaluating land ahead of a prescribed burn. (Washington State Department of Natural Resources photo)

Why burn?

The training comes as the Washington State Department of Natural Resources gears up for the need to apply a number of forest treatments, including prescribed burning, to more than a million acres of high-risk forests in Washington.

DNR employs the largest wildfire fighting force in the state – firefighters who have seen first-hand how treated forests help slow the spread of wildfire.

“In treated forests, our rates of spread are a lot lower,” said Austin Marshall, the agency’s fire unit manager in Kittitas County. “Our flame lengths are down lower, so it gives us more time to respond to it, and once we get to the fire, we’re able to get crews in there safely.”

In Central Washington, prescribed fires also help the natural landscape recover from more than a century of human meddling that, over time, made forests susceptible to dangerous megafires.

“Prescribed fire is the right fire, in the right place, for the right reasons,” said Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Fire Staff Officer Rob Allen. “It’s a proactive step – a choice to put fire to work for our communities and forests rather than just fight against it year after year.”

Prior to American pioneer settlement, ponderosa pine and other forest species in Central Washington experienced about one low-intensity wildfire each decade. Those fires left behind large, widely-spaced trees, and in time, patches of grass and small shrubs would grow in between them.

But largely due to decades of fire suppression, the grass, shrubs and smaller trees have grown unchecked in these forests, creating a thick understory that, when ignited, can cause fires that kill even the largest trees. These larger fires are harder for firefighters to control and threaten the homes and livelihoods of families living in the region.

Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz, who oversees DNR, is leading an effort to help address this problem through the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan for Central and Eastern Washington. Through partnerships with local, state and federal agencies and organizations, the plan acknowledges the links between forest health, wildfire risk, and economic development in rural Washington.

“Fire has and will always be part of the landscape in Central Washington,” Franz said. “That’s why prescribed burning is one of the many strategies we can use, where appropriate, to help our forests and rural communities thrive for generations. Part of this strategy includes providing our firefighters with the skills necessary to do this precise and important work.”

Training Exchange (TREX) trainer and prescribed fire consultant Ray Guse, far right, leads a workshop Sept. 25, 2018, in Kittitas County about the planning necessary to conduct a controlled burn. The workshop was part of a two-week TREX event in Cle Elum designed to teach wildland firefighters the skills necessary to conduct prescribed burning. (Washington State Department of Natural Resources photo)

Sharpening, gain skills

TREX was created in 2008 to help address a shortage of firefighters trained in prescribed burning. For firefighters, TREX is also a chance to gain new insights and skills from the seven agencies participating: DNR, the U.S. Forest Service, the federal Bureau of Land Management, the Roslyn Fire Department, Kittitas County Fire District 1, the National Park Service, and the British Columbia Wildfire Service.

By conducting prescribed burns, the firefighters see up-close how low- to moderate-intensity fires can restore forests. They learn about the local vegetation. They learn spot-weather forecasts and other tools that help ensure optimal smoke dispersal during and after a prescribed burn. (Controlled burns are designed to reduce the chance of heavy smoke in nearby communities.)

The TREX event in Cle Elum concludes Oct. 5. It is hosted by DNR, the Washington Prescribed Fire Council, The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Forest Service, the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Fire Learning Network.

For more information about TREX, visit the program’s Facebook page.

FuegoEl fuego Klondike está contenido en un 72% y tiene un tamaño de 163,724acres. El fuego está más activo en la unión del río Illinois e Indigo Creek, eldrenaje de Snail/Slim Creek, Little Silver Creek y Montana Springs.Humo HoyLas condiciones continúan siendo secas y favorables para que aumente laactividad en el fuego. El viento es del suroeste, moviendo un poco de humohacia los drenajes en el área este de del río Rogue, y hacia el área de GrantsPass y Merlin. Agness continuará experimentando niveles de humo dañinospara la salud. El viento del suroeste también moverá el humo del fuegoNatchez hacia el área de Medford y Ashland.Humo MañanaSe esperan condiciones secas, temperaturas mas frescas y un aumento en lahumedad comenzando hoy al anochecer. La inversión que mantiene el humoatrapado el los valles y en Agness se comenzará a romper, moderando losniveles de humo. Vientos provenientes del suroeste continuarán moviendo elhumo hacia Merlin, Grants Pass, y Agness....

Incendio Klondike. Zona OesteEl dia de ayer, se dio un aumento en el tamano del incendio Klondike de 4,300 acres debido a la presencia de una capa pesada de humo causado por el efecto de inversion (cuando temperaturas incrementan con la altitud). La mayor parte del fuego se extendio cuesta arriba hacia el Noreste del interior de varias areas en el Oeste de Chrome Ridge tales como Browns Gulch, Breezy Creek y al Este de la bifurcacion de Indigo Creek. Las bases de lineas de chequeo, han logrado minimizar la actividad del fuego en direccion Norte. Estas lineas se encuentran en caminos ya existentes. Por encima del area de Horse Sign Creek al Sur de Agness, se observo un movimiento lento de fuego a su alrededor y en la parte inferior de la ladera. Sin embargo, el fuego no represento una amenaza para las lineas de contencion por lo que no fue necesario el cierre de carreteras o iniciar acciones agresivas para la suppression de incendio. Desde hace dos semanas, no se ha requerido llevar a...

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land ManagementEMERGENCY CLOSURE OF PUBLIC LANDS: Josephine County, OregonAGENCY:Bureau of Land Management, Medford District, Grants Pass Resource AreaACTION:Temporary closure of public lands in Josephine County, Oregon.SUMMARY: Pursuant to 43 CFR 9212.1, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is giving notice that public lands south of the Galice/Bear Camp/23 road down to Brown's Gulch are closed to all unauthorized entry, effective immediately. This closure will remain in effect until the Taylor Creek/Klondike Fire is declared controlled, or until such time as the Grants Pass Field Manager determines public entry is safe. This closure affects public lands within the perimeter of the Taylor Creek/Klondike fire area, administered by the BLM through the Grants Pass Field Office of the Medford District, and is specific to BLM lands and routes only. Please see attached map.This order allows the use of roads at the discretion of the Incident...

Klondike Fire West ZoneUnder a heavy blanket of smoke caused by the inversion, the Klondike Fire grew about 4,300 acres yesterday, mostly spreading uphill to the northeast in interior areas west of Chrome Ridge such as Browns Gulch, Breezy Creek and the East Fork of Indigo Creek. Check-lines based on existing roads are slowing the Fire’s northward spread. There was slow movement around and down the hillside above Horse Sign Creek south of Agness. The Fire did not threaten containment lines and it was not necessary to close roads or initiate aggressive fire suppression actions. No deliberate ignitions have occurred in nearly 2 weeks as firefighters seek to keep the burned area as small as possible. They have been able to balance monitoring the Fire’s slow spread toward prepared containment lines with holding and slowing the fire more directly in its current location. A new containment line closer to the Fire is being completed and improved to reduce potential spread near the...

Southern Cascades Interagency Incident Management Team Incident Commander, Neil Miller Incident Commander Trainee, Dirk Rogers September 28, 2018 - 9:00 A.M. Special Announcements: The Terwilliger Fire Area Closure implemented August 30th, 2018 by the Willamette National Forest, remains in place and is strictly enforced. Safety of the public and firefighters remains priority directive. Active fire and fire suppression operations continue on the landscape. Violators will be prosecuted. Please refrain from entering the closed areas. Both Forest Service Road (FR) 19 and Terwilliger Hot Springs (also known as Cougar Hot Springs) are within the Terwilliger Area Closure. They remain closed due to unsafe conditions from gravity fall hazards including rocks, debris and fire weakened trees. The closure begins at the junction of FR 410 south to Box Canyon. The public is asked to respect the road and area closures for protection to themselves and firefighters. The McKenzie River District will...

Fire The Klondike Fire is 72% contained and 163,724 acres. Fire is most active at the confluence of Indigo Creek and Illinois River, Snail/Slim Creek drainages, Little Silver Creek, and Montana Springs. Smoke Today Conditions continue to be dry and favorable for fire activity today. Winds will be from the Southwest, moving some smoke into Eastern Rogue River drainages and into Grants Pass and Merlin. Agness will continue to experience unhealthy air quality and smoke. Southwest winds will move smoke from the Natchez Fire into the Medford and Ashland areas. Smoke Tomorrow Conditions are expected to be dry, with cooler temperatures and increased humidity moving in this evening. Inversions that have trapped smoke in valleys and in Agness will start to break apart, moderating smoke levels. Southwest winds will continue move smoke into the Merlin, Grants Pass, and Agness areas. Potential exists for smoke from the Natchez Fire to impact Provolt, Medford, and Ashland

With the extended dry period and no rain, the Pomeroy Ranger District’s Dark Canyon Prescribed Burn is continuing to creep and smolder in steep timber stringers. On Sept.11, District Fire and Fuels Management staff, with the assistance of Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and other agency employees, ignited a 1,750-acre prescribed fire. The objectives were to reduce down and ladder fuels components in steep timbered stringers and enhance big game habitat on both Forest Service and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Service lands. Night time higher relative humidities and lower temperatures have aided prescribed fire personnel in keeping everything under containment and within the prescription of the burn. The prescribed burn did spot in a couple of areas outside the original prescribed burn boundary last weekend due to the lower humidities and higher temperatures. Fire personnel have been successful in catching and holding...

Incendio Klondike. Zona Oeste A pesar de que el aire continua siendo seco, el dia de ayer se pudo observar la presencia pesada de humo estancado en la mayor parte del area del Incendio Klondike. La actividad del fuego se vio reducido en areas criticas debido a que la persistencia del humo en los valles produjo sombra en las partes inferiores del fuego. Aun sin la presencia de vientos fuertes, el tamano del incendio aumento en 2500 acres como consecuencia de terrenos empinados y material de combustion seco y disponible para el incendio. La mayor parte del crecimiento del incendio se dio en la zona de Browns Gulch y Montana Spring en el interior de las lineas de contencion. El fuego se ha extendido en la parte Norte hacia la carretera 23 en la cabecera Oeste de la bifurcacion de Indigo Creek. Debido a las condiciones del humo, fue imposible realizar la labor de los helicopteros el dia de ayer. Se espera que el dia de hoy sea completada la construccion de una linea de contencion directa...

Terwilliger Fire Update Southern Cascades Interagency Incident Management Team Incident Commander, Neil Miller Incident Commander Trainee, Dirk Rogers September 27, 2018 - 9:00 A.M. Special Announcements: The Terwilliger Fire Area Closure implemented August 30th, 2018 by the Willamette National Forest, remains in place and is strictly enforced. Safety of the public and firefighters remains priority directive. Active fire and fire suppression operations continue on the landscape. Violators will be prosecuted. Please refrain from entering the closed areas. Both Forest Service Road (FR) 19 and Terwilliger Hot Springs (also known as Cougar Hot Springs) are within the Terwilliger Area Closure. They remain closed due to unsafe conditions from gravity fall hazards including rocks, debris and fire weakened trees. The closure begins at the junction of FR 408 south to Box Canyon. The public is asked to respect the road and area closures for protection to themselves and firefighters. The...

Klondike Fire West Zone Although the air continues to be very dry, it was fairly stagnant yesterday with heavy smoke over much of the Klondike Fire. The smoke persisted in the valleys, shading the lower parts of the fire, reducing its activity in critical areas. Even without strong winds, the Fire’s size increased about 2,500 acres, an indication of the steep terrain that enables uphill movement and parched fuels that are readily available to burn. Most of the growth occurred in Browns Gulch and Montana Spring, well interior of containment lines. The fire also has been spreading north toward Road 23 at the headwaters of the West Fork of Indigo Creek. No helicopters were able to fly in yesterday’s smoky conditions. A direct containment line being constructed near the Illinois River / Indigo Creek confluence, connecting to the 150 Road and to the Burnt Ridge Road (2308), should be completed today, strengthening containment southeast of Agness. Northeast of Browns Gulch, check...

Fuego El fuego Klondike está contenido en un 72% y tiene un tamaño de 159,384 acres. El fuego está más activo en la unión del río Illinois e Indigo Creek, el drenaje de Snail/Slim Creek, Little Silver Creek y Montana Springs. Humo Hoy Las condiciones continúan siendo secas y favorables para que aumente la actividad en el fuego. El viento será liviano y mayormente del oeste, moviendo el humo hacia los drenajes en el área este de del rio Rogue, y hacia el área de Grants Pass y Merlin. Agness continuará experimentando niveles de humo dañinos para la salud. Humo Mañana Se espera para el fin de semana condiciones secas, temperaturas mas frescas y un aumento en la humedad. Los vientos serán ligeros y generalmente provenientes del noreste, lo que enviará el humo hacia los drenajes del río Illinois y el área de S Selma y Cave Junction. Se espera que el humo sea mas denso en horas de la mañana, al anochecer, y durante la

Fire The Klondike Fire is 72% contained and 159,384 acres. Fire is most active at the confluence of Indigo Creek and Illinois River, Snail/Slim Creek drainages, Little Silver Creek, and Montana Springs. Smoke Today Conditions continue to be dry and favorable for fire activity. Winds will be light and predominately from the West, moving smoke into Eastern Rogue River drainages and into Grants Pass and Merlin. Agness will continue to experience unhealthy air quality and smoke. Smoke Tomorrow Conditions are expected to be dry, with cooler temperatures and increased humidity by the weekend. Winds will be light and generally from the Northwest, moving smoke into the Illinois River drainage and into Selma and Cave Junction. Expect the morning, evening, and overnight hours to have the most