08/01/2022
Firefighting Efforts Continue on the
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
Medford, Oregon 31 July 2022--The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has responded to the Beartree Fire near National Falls north of Prospect that was detected by aerial reconnaissance. The firefighters of Medford BLM Crew 10, a Type 2 Initial Attack veteran crew are building a line around this 1/10th of an acre fire, assisted by timber fallers and a Type 6 engine.
This afternoon, lighting is being recorded in several places on the Forest. These areas will be closely and continually checked for possible new fires by both ground and air resources. The weather forecast continues to call for lightning through Monday.
Hot, windy weather has pushed the McKinney Fire on the Klamath National Forest in Northern California to 51,468 acres as of this morning. Smoke from this fire is creating very poor air quality and light ash fall in the Rogue Valley and beyond. More information on this fire may be found at https://bit.ly/3BxnC8y.
The Alex Fire was reported this morning as a new start and mapped at 50-acres about 4 ½ miles south of the Oregon state line. This fire is on the Klamath National Forest and within ¼ mile of the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District. Today the fire is challenging firefighters with single tree torching and short range spotting but is primarily moving east, parallel to the Forest Boundary. Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest resources continue to be engaged on this fire, and are working with crews from the McKinney Fire utilizing direct attack and aerial support as it is available. At this time, the fires on the Klamath National Forest are not threatening Oregon communities.
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) has been closed in areas impacted by the McKinney Fire. Hiking on the PCT is not possible from Etna Summit to the south of Mt. Ashland, a 110-mile segment. Hikers should also be aware that the Tolo Fire is impacting the PCT in Deschutes County as well. The Pacific Crest Trail Association provides links to trail closures here https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/closures/.
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Fires
The Slide Fire is 100% contained at 1½ acres. Firefighters will remain on site to continue mop up operations and search for any remaining heat with both handheld IR and by cold trailing (feeling by hand) until the fire is called out.
With the recent high temperatures, the fuels across SW Oregon are very dry and receptive to any ignition source. Please be aware of fire restrictions in the area you are in and be fire smart. It takes all of us to protect our communities!
