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QuickFacts:Incident Start Date: 8/22/2018Incident Start Time: Approx. 12:45 p.m.Incident Type: WildfireCause: Under InvestigationIncident Location: near Sams Valley, Jackson County, OregonLand Threat: Private, BLM, IndustrialCommand Agency: ODF/OSFMFire Size: 600 acresContainment: 0%Expected Full Containment: N/ACivilian Injuries: 0Firefighter Injuries: 0Structures Threatened: 211Structures Destroyed: 0Structures Damaged: 0Current Situation:Extreme fire behavior and gusty ridgetop and canyon winds caused the Ramsey Canyon Fire to spread rapidly just before sundown. The fire is estimated to have grown a few hundred acres within the last two hours of daylight. The current fire size is approximately 600 acres.Currently, night shift resources will continue to attack the fire directly and construct fire line along the flanks of the fire. Access to the fire has been difficult from the start. Dozers will continue to build access roads, as well as contingency lines. While aircraft cannot be...

Gilliam County Sheriff has lowered Evacuation Levels as follows: Stubblefield Fire - Gilliam County has lowered the evacuation level for Richmond Lane, Pattee Road to Level 2, BE SET! The evacuation level for Buckhorn Lane, Armstrong Road, and Butte Creek Road to Level 1, BE READY!. Lonerock Fire - Gilliam County has lowered the evacuation level for all areas of Lonerock Road and the City of Lonerock to Level 1, BE

Due to the incoming cold front, the winds today have shifted to a western pattern. This is causing increased fire activity on the east side of the fire. Firefighters are currently addressing this. A product of this increase is more smoke.

Fires, smoking, using internal combustion engines, and welding are prohibited with certain exceptions. See the attached PDF for details of where these prohibitions apply and what the exceptions

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office has issued a downgrade from a Level 3 "Go" status to a Level 2 "Be Set" notice for the Illinois River Road from Hwy 199 up to and including McCaleb Ranch. The section from McCaleb Ranch through Oak Flat will remain on a Level 3 "Go" notice. Follow the link below to read the sheriff's press release.

The Josephine County Sheriff's Office has issued a downgrade from a Level 3 "Go" status to a Level 2 "Be Set" notice for the Illinois River Road from Hwy 199 up to and including McCaleb Ranch.The section from McCaleb Ranch through Oak Flat will remain on a Level 3 "Go" notice. Follow the link below to read the sheriff's press release.

Fires, smoking, using internal combustion engines, and welding are prohibited with certain exceptions. See the attached PDF for details of where these prohibitions apply and what the exceptions are

Update-August 22, 2018 9:00 a.m. For Immediate Release Incident Commanders: Ian Yocum, Oregon State Fire Marshal & Eric Knerr, Northwest Team 7 Contact: Rich Tyler, OSFM/Jeanne Klein, NW Team 7 541-239-3619 Follow Fire Information on Facebook Pages: Gilliam County Sheriff https://www.facebook.com/GilliamCountySheriff/ South Gilliam County Rural Fire Protection District https://www.facebook.com/South-Gilliam-County-Rural-Fire-Protection-District-783137915065669/?ref=br_rs [Condon, Oregon] Firefighters continued to make excellent progress on each of the four fires being managed under unified command by the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Blue Team and Northwest Team 7. The Stubblefield and Seale Fires have grown together and in the future will be reported as the Stubblefield Fire. Structural firefighting crews from Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office have worked hard since Friday night, August 17, to assess, prepare and protect your homes in Gilliam County while working...

8/22 Natchez Fire UpdateHappy Camp, CA –An upper level low pressure area remains over the fire and is expected to move east later today bringing slightly cooler temperatures by the weekend. Today will be hot, dry and variably smoky. The fire will be most active in the afternoon as the overhead low pressure ventilates the smoke. East-northeast winds will be sustained at 12 mph, gusting to 18 mph through the morning and shifting to northwest at 5 to 9 mph, gusting to 15 in the afternoon. After nightfall, ridge winds will switch back to the northeast. Maximum temperatures are forecast to range from 83 to 93 degrees in the valleys and 73 to 83 degrees on the ridges. Relative humidity recovered to around 50 percent last night and will reach an expected low in the twenties during the late afternoon. Firefighters continue mopping up, chipping and patrolling from Mud Lake north, following the perimeter of the fire around the north end of the fire and south to the edge of the 2017 Eclipse...

Update-August 22, 2018 For Immediate Release Incident Commanders: Ian Yocum, Oregon State Fire Marshal & Eric Knerr, Northwest Team 7 Contact: Rich Tyler, OSFM/Jeanne Klein, NW Team 7 541-239-3619 Follow Fire Information on Facebook Pages: Gilliam County Sheriff https://www.facebook.com/GilliamCountySheriff/ South Gilliam County Rural Fire Protection District https://www.facebook.com/South-Gilliam-County-Rural-Fire-Protection-District-783137915065669/?ref=br_rs [Condon, Oregon] Firefighters continued to make excellent progress on each of the four fires being managed under unified command by the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Blue Team and Northwest Team 7. The Stubblefield and Seale Fires have grown together and in the future will be reported as the Stubblefield Fire. Structural firefighting crews from Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office have worked hard since Friday night, August 17, to assess, prepare and protect your homes in Gilliam County while working alongside...

Firefighters were able to take advantage of the cooler temperatures yesterday and higher relative humidity recoveries overnight to make progress on the fire. Some growth did occur on the southeastern edge. The total acreage is now at 35,287. A community meeting is scheduled for tonight, August 22, at 7:00 p.m. at the Paisley Community Center. Crews will work today to limit the spread of the fire to the north, east, and south as conditions allow and work to minimize suppression impacts to riparian areas. Additional fire resources will continue to arrive today. Continued hazards for firefighters are snags, dead and down lodgepole pine and difficult terrain. The temperatures today in the fire area are forecasted to be in the 70’s to lower 80’s with relative humidity at 15-30%. Light northerly winds in the morning are expected to switch to westerly in the afternoon with gusts up to 15 mph. Warming and drying should occur over the fire this afternoon and fire behavior is...

SOUTHWEST AREA IMT #3 ASSUMES COMMAND TODAY Summary: Southwest Area Incident Management Team #3 assumed command of the Terwilliger Fire at 6:oo a.m. this morning and will continue using full suppression strategy. The Terwilliger fire is burning on both the west and east side of Cougar Reservoir. Yesterday, crews continued to hold the fire south of Boone Creek. Heavy equipment was used to open existing roads and lines used last year on the east side of the reservoir. Aviation resources were used to hold line to the north as weather and smoke conditions allowed. Firefighters will continue their work to hold the fire south of Boone Creek. They completed line from Forest Road 19 to the Forest Road 115 and will implement a burn out operation to strengthen the control line. Heavy equipment will continue to open existing roads and fire managers will scout out areas with the most probability of success to hold the fire on the northeast side of the fire. Closures: Willamette...

Special Statement This air quality forecast predicts potential particulate matter levels, not ozone. Forecast is based on 24 hour average. Fire There has been a small growth from the firing operation between Miller Fire and Columbus Fire. Miles and Columbus fires will continue to burn towards each other burning out the fuel in between. Fuel burning is mostly dead/down fuel and live fuel that has been cured. Widespread smoke from other fires including Watson Creek Fire has contributed more smoke in these communities than forecasted yesterday. Smoke There may be some air quality improvement today but currently the forecast still indicates that smoky conditions will prevail over many of these communities south of Miller/Columbus fires due to little air movement and possible more firing operation to help clean up the fuel. With the wind shifting back to northwest, there may not be enough push to help clear out the smoke until later today. We should see an improvement to the air quality by...

Weather Temperatures will cool today as a storm system pushes in from the west and carries moisture with it, helping to moderate fire behavior. A high temperature around 80 degrees is expected today with relative humidity in the mid-20 percent range. Winds will turn from the west to northwest and will be lighter than previous days. Taylor Creek Fire and Klondike Fire East The Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team is managing the Taylor Creek Fire and Klondike Fire East. A smoke inversion subdued fire behavior on Tuesday. The smoke shaded the fire, keeping temperatures 5-10 degrees cooler than forecast. The lower temperatures, combined with lighter winds, helped firefighters hold key control lines on the south end of the Klondike Fire East along Babyfoot Road. That control line is now connected to the burn scar of the 2017 Chetco Bar Fire, which serves as a natural control line due to the lack of available fuels. Firefighters are working diligently to widen the southern...

Weather Temperatures will cool today as a storm system pushes in from the west and carries moisture with it, helping to moderate fire behavior. A high temperature around 80 degrees is expected today with relative humidity in the mid-20 percent range. Winds will turn from the west to northwest and will be lighter than previous days. Taylor Creek Fire and Klondike Fire East The Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team is managing the Taylor Creek Fire and Klondike Fire East. A smoke inversion subdued fire behavior on Tuesday. The smoke shaded the fire, keeping temperatures 5-10 degrees cooler than forecast. The lower temperatures, combined with lighter winds, helped firefighters hold key control lines on the south end of the Klondike Fire East along Babyfoot Road. That control line is now connected to the burn scar of the 2017 Chetco Bar Fire, which serves as a natural control line due to the lack of available fuels. Firefighters are working diligently to widen the southern...

Pacific Northwest Team 2 fire managers will be hosting a community meeting to inform the public about efforts to protect local communities and safely manage the Miles and Columbus Fires. Fire commanders and local officials will be on hand to answer questions regarding the fires. The meeting will start at 6:00 PM on Thursday, August 23rd and will be held at the Tiller RFPD fire station, 27598 Tiller-Trail Highway, Tiller,

The burn operation yesterday afternoon was successful along the 6640 Road on the eastern edge of the fire. Firefighters took advantage of winds blowing from the east and ignited a small test burn that displayed desirable results. Crews moved forward with the burn operation and brought fire along the 6640 Road to secure black line on the eastern flank. Patrol and mop up operations continued on the southern and western sides of the fire. Firefighters continued to support neighboring fires and resources remain available for initial attack. Firefighters worked through the night and successfully completed the three mile burn operation along the 6640 Road. Crews were supported by an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS or “drone”) with infrared capabilities that was able to fly through smoke and detect the heat perimeter and areas of unburned fuels. Today’s Activities: Firefighters will remain on the 6640 Road continuing work to secure the eastern flank by removing any green fuels and...

Blue River, OR (Aug. 21, 2018) Fire officials are implementing an area closure order for the Terwilliger Fire for public and firefighter safety due to a combination of high fire danger, exceptionally dry conditions and unpredictable fire behavior. The area closure includes a section of Forest Service Road 19 (Aufederheide Scenic Highway) and recreation sites. “We understand this is a disappointment to residents and visitors who patiently waited for the road to reopen after the December 2017 landslide, but unfortunately, the risk is too great," said Forest Supervisor Tracy Beck. "Our highest responsibility must be visitor and firefighter safety.” The size of the closure allows for safe access and work by firefighters, and reflects the rapid growth that fire managers have witnessed since the fire was initially reported on August 19. Given the weather forecast and already dry forest conditions, the fire could continue to grow and additional closures could take place. From...

August 21, 2018 For Immediate Release Incident Commanders: Ian Yocum, Oregon State Fire Marshal Eric Knerr, Northwest Team 7 Contact: Rich Tyler/Jeanne Klein 541-239-3619 OSFM/NW Team 7 Public Information Officers Follow Fire Information on local Facebook Pages: Gilliam County Sheriff https://www.facebook.com/GilliamCountySheriff/ South Gilliam County Rural Fire Protection District https://www.facebook.com/South-Gilliam-County-Rural-Fire-Protection-District-783137915065669/?ref=br_rs [Condon, Oregon] NW Team 7 joined the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office in Unified Command as of 6:00 am Tuesday morning. NW Team 7 will also assume command of Jennie's Peak Fire in Wheeler County and will be assigning resources to that fire. The Stubblefield, Seale, Lonerock, and Jennie's Peak fires now total 77,500 acres burned with 27% containment. There are currently 443 total firefighters on the incident. Last night's community meeting in the town of Lonerock was a success with...