TRAIL, Ore. — By Friday morning, fire officials confirmed that at least one home succumbed to flames in the Elk Creek area between Trail and Prospect. "As of last night, structures were being lost in the Elk Creek Road area," said a statement from the Umpqua National Forest. "The number of structures lost or damaged has yet to be determined." This marks the first confirmed loss of a structure in Southern Oregon from the widespread lightning-caused wildfires that began on July 15. Conditions on Thursday caused the merger of some of the most dangerous fires still burning in Jackson and Douglas counties, with the 10,000-acre Miles Fire joining with the 6,000-acre Sugar Pine Fire, as well as the 1,800-acre Goodview Fire. Winds pushed flames down into the Hawk Creek drainage, spotting across Elk Creek Road near Burnt Peak and over a control line near Flat Creek and Ragsdale Butte. The rapid increase in fire activity sparked hurried evacuation orders—both widespread Level 3 "GO" evacs near Elk Creek and Sugar Pine roads, and Level 2 "Be Set" warnings near Lost Creek Creek Lake and Highway 62. Crews will be working on Friday to confirm whether or not the original control line has been compromised by spot fires. If so, they will fall back to a more defensible secondary line along the west branch of Elk Creek. Crews say many residents have stayed despite being in Level 3 "GO" evacuation zones. "When we saw fire we left and we couldn't wait to get back. It's home. Real simple. We've lived right in this place for 45 years," said Elk Creek resident Jerome Hammond. It remains to be seen how fire officials will classify these fires now that they have merged. The South Umpqua Complex used to describe an array of fires primarily in Douglas County, although the Snowshow and Miles fires both moved south into Jackson. The Sugar Pine Fire (also consisting of several smaller fires) burned primarily in Jackson County. Now major elements of both fires have joined. Officials expect a continuation of problematic weather conditions in the area. Although temperatures have cooled somewhat to 70-80 degrees and humidity is up to 25-38 percent, wind gusts of up to 25 mph coming from the northwest are expected to continue today.<doc-sep>The Taylor Creek Fire has burned down to the Rogue River, prompting new evacuations and keeping the iconic river closed to boats for a 7 to 8-mile stretch. The Taylor Creek Fire burning west of Grants Pass continued to wreak havoc, even as fire teams made progress in containing Oregon’s most dangerous blaze. The fire was almost 30,000 acres Wednesday morning and has burned all the way down to the Rogue River on the fire’s northern flank. That brought new evacuations and kept the iconic river closed to boats for a 7 to 8 mile stretch. At the same time, fire teams made solid progress on the fire's southeastern flank, bringing containment on the fire up to 30 percent and allowing almost 400 people to return to their homes. That leaves around 600 to 700 people who’ve been evacuated from their homes due to the fire, officials said. “We’re feeling pretty good about our fire lines in the Limpy Creek area, and that’s allowed us to bring down some of the evacuation levels,” fire spokesman Joel Brumm said Wednesday morning. The main fight is focused on the fire’s northern flank along the Rogue River between Merlin and Galice. The stream known worldwide for its rafting has become a critical barrier, as firefighters do everything they can to keep the flames from leaping the river. “The fire has not spotted across the river yet and we want to keep it that way,” Brumm said. “We did a lot of burn-out operations yesterday, using lower-intensity fire to take the wind out of the fire’s sail as it rolled down the hill. That gives it less fuel to send embers over the river. “But we also have fire teams ready to put out any spot fire that does cross the river.” After days of miserable firefighting conditions — triple digit temperatures — the weather appears to be heading in a more helpful direction. “We’re expecting it to get a few degrees cooler, so that’s going to help,” Brumm said. “We were facing multiple days of red flag conditions earlier this week.” The most up-to-date information on evacuation levels can be found on this map or by calling 541-474-5305. The Rogue River is closed from Hog Creek Boat Ramp to Galice, which represents about 7 to 8 river miles, including the stretch though popular Hellgate Canyon. However, the vast majority of the river remains open — see this post for more details. Taylor Creek is the largest of the fires to have grown out of a lightning storm earlier this month, but there remain eight large wildfires and multi-fire complexes burning in the area that have impacted air quality across southwest Oregon. For details on evacuation levels — as they change — follow the Josephine County Sheriff's Office. For the most current map and evacuation areas, see this page. Below is an update on all of the major fires in Southern Oregon. Klondike Fire (evacuations near Selma and Illinois River) The wildfire burning on the east side of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, known as the Klondike Fire, continued to grow this weekend. As of Wednesday morning, the fire has burned 17,987 acres with just 5 percent containment. The fire has spread out of the wilderness and fire teams are primarily looking at how to stop the blaze from moving east toward Selma. "Our primary focus is protecting values along the Illinois River Road and developing good fire lines to protect the U.S. Highway 199 corridor and towns such as Selma," Noel Livingstone said in a morning briefing Monday. Firefighters prepped forest roads and old Biscuit Fire fire lines to control fire to north and east. Heavy smoke kept air operations to a minimum. A level 3 'Go' evacuation order remains in effect for the Oak Flat area on Illinois River Road. Illinois River Road from mile post 2.5 to Oak Flat is at a level 2 evacuation level meaning “get ready.” In addition, a number of trails, including the Illinois River Trail, have been closed. In an update Tuesday, fire officials said the air mass over the fire is seeing a very gradual cooling trend. Anticipated increases in humidity over the next several days could dampen fire activity and smoke emissions, but poor air quality continues to persist in communities near the fire. Natchez Fire (closures near Siskiyou Wilderness) The Natchez Fire, located 15 miles south of Cave Junction, showed more growth earlier this week. The fire grew to 6,174 acres as of Tuesday evening and is continuing to spread on the north and south ends of the fire. Crews worked to connect Forest Service roads using low-intensity burn outs on the north side Monday. By the end of the day, firefighters had managed to increase containment from 10 percent to 15 percent. The community of Sunstar has been placed in a level 1 evacuation “get ready” status. Fire closures are in place in both the Klamath National Forest and the Rouge River-Siskiyou National Forest. South Umpqua Complex (evacuation warnings near Tiller) This complex of three larger wildfires and numerous smaller ones grew to 16,428 acres as of Wednesday with 16 percent containment. The Miles Fire, now top priority in the South Umpqua Complex, continued to push east toward Hawk Mountain. Multiple spot fires were sparked by wind-blown embers near the southeast perimeter. The fire has covered 4,605 acres with 14 percent containment. Crews were shifted away from the Snowshoe Fire, covering 3,816 acres with 95 percent containment, where personnel were mopping up and searching for hot spots. Wind gusts carried embers sparking multiple spot fires half a mile out of the Columbus Fire southern edge, according to reports. The fire has covered 5,703 acres. After days of zero containment, the blaze is now 5 percent contained. Crews installed sprinklers around the world's largest sugar pine, located in the Umpqua National Forest about 20 miles east of Tiller, for protection from the Columbus Fire. Heavy smoke is expected in the area, and officials warn an unstable atmosphere could lead to "extreme fire activity." Closures remain for a campground and roads in the Tiller Ranger District. For more details on the South Umpqua Complex, including more details on closures, click here. Sugar Pine fires The 19 small- to medium-sized wildfires burning north of Prospect and Tiller on either side of Oregon Highway 62 south of Crater Lake continue to spread. Collectively they have burned more than 6,086 acres as of Tuesday night. Sustained high temperatures, gusty afternoon winds and low humidity have continued to fan the flames. The Sugar Pine Fire grew by hundreds over acres since the weekend, covering a total of 4,172 acres and remaining zero percent contained. The Goodview Fire continued to grow to 1,630 acres and is also zero percent contained. Northwest winds, temperatures nearing 90 and increased airflow as the shroud of smoke clears could increase fire activity, officials said. An Level 2 evacuation order set for the Elk Creek area was elevated to a Level 3 "Go" evacuation Tuesday night. Sheriff's officials said residents "should not delay leaving to gather any belongings or make further efforts to protect your home. This may be the last notice you receive." Deputies and search and rescue volunteers will deliver notices to in person, but residents do not need to wait for a notice to vacate their homes. More information about the evacuation is available here. Firefighters worked on improving multiple fire lines north of homes by setting up hoses and sprinklers and moving flammable items away from houses. Fire personnel numbering over 840 remain assigned to the fire. Other active fires in the area include: Round Top — 154 acres, 48 percent contained Union — 106 acres, 6 percent contained The report states that all other fires on the north end of the High Cascades Ranger District have been contained. For more information, visit this page. Grave Creek / Pleasant Creek fires (evacuations near Wimer) Crews battling flames in the Grave Creek and Pleasant Creek fires burning near Wimer were able to slow growth this weekend. The fires are part of the 8,886-acre Garner Complex Fire. With teams working to secure perimeters and smoke from the Klondike Fire helping drop temperatures, the complex was 65 percent contained as of Tuesday evening. Fire teams have the Pleasant Creek Fire at 835 acres, a slight shrinkage since Saturday. The Grave Creek Fire reversed its growth pattern and shrank by a few acres, making it a total of 7,816 acres. Despite the positive news, officials are remaining cautious. "While the threat to homes on the Garner Complex has diminished, evacuations remain in place for the safety of the residences and fire crews," officials said in an update Monday night. More than 2,600 personnel are battling the flames. Crews are mopping up areas, working with infrared cameras to spot pockets of heat and flying over the region to monitor the flames. “Very impressive work so far, we need to keep making progress," said John Flannigan, Day Shift Operations Section Chief. "With the potential for new fire starts to grow rapidly, crews have been notified that they have initial attack responsibility to help the local district." For detailed information, click here. Hendrix Fire (evacuation warnings near Ruch) The Hendrix Fire southwest of Ashland, in the Little Applegate River area, remains at 1,082 acres and is now 70 percent contained as of Tuesday. The southeast corner remains without a firm containment line due the to steep, challenging terrain, according to officials. Crews are scouting the area for opportunities to fully suppress the blaze. A helicopter and 267 personnel are assigned to the blaze. Officials moved back the expected containment date to the end of August due to the lack of containment lines on the southeast corner.<doc-sep>
OREGON -- The South Umpqua Complex Fire continues to grow in Douglas County, and fires are burning throughout the state of Oregon. The South Umpqua Complex burning in Douglas and Jackson counties is now at 14,000 acres and remains only 16 percent contained. Evacuation notices are in place there. Level three evacuations have been ordered for residents near the Sugar Pine Fire near Prospect in Jackson County. Level three means those residents should leave immediately. The Garner Complex Fire in southern Oregon also continues to burn, and the air quality in that area is still unhealthy and hazardous, officials say. The complex fire is 65 percent contained and holding at just less than 9,000 acres. Crews hope to have it fully contained by next week. Crews say they are starting to get a handle on the Taylor Creek Fire, which split from the Garner Complex. The Taylor Creek Fire is 20 percent contained as of Aug. 1. It’s burning nearly 30,000 acres, and nearly 1,000 people are under evacuation notice. More crews from the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office are moving in to battle the flames. The fire is growing, and crews worked through the night to make sure the blaze didn’t hop the Rogue River. “When you live in the midst of it, you want to see what the fire is all about and you can actually see what they’re doing,” resident Sharon Misfeldt said. Sharon and her husband Bob live in a level three evacuation zone near the Taylor Creek Fire. They said living so close to the fire is anything but easy, but they said watching crews work to put it out brings them some peace of mind. With these and other fires burning throughout the state, Congressman Greg Walden is calling on his colleagues in the Senate to approve farther-reaching forest management practices. Walden walked along the outside of the Garner Complex Fire Tuesday, seeing the destruction firsthand. Walden spoke at the Erickson hangar base in Medford. He’s pushing for active forest management that would remove fuel and lessen the ongoing threat of fire and smoke. “The bill includes in the House version up to 6,000 acres where you can do expedited treatments and get ahead to the fuel loads out there,” Walden said. “So when a fire occurs, we know it will be more natural and we can fight it quicker.” Walden said his new reforms would include cleaning up after a fire and requiring replanting of our forests. The bill would also fund responses to insect and disease infestation, watershed protection and hazardous fuels reduction.