Cool weather is two-edged sword on Florence and Sour Biscuit Fires/Oregon

Oregon Live/ AP ^ | 06 August 2002 | Jeff Barnard / AP

[Grampa Dave]

Wildfire News/Oregon

Cool weather is two-edged sword on Florence and Sour Biscuit Fires

By JEFF BARNARD, The Associated Press, 8/6/02 3:17 AM

CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. (AP) -- Cool and humid weather that has kept a lid on the Florence and Sour Biscuit fires prevented crews from fire-hardening the southern end of the 40-mile containment line protecting the Illinois Valley.

"It's a two-edged sword," said Mike Lohrey, incident commander on the eastern front of the fires that have burned a combined 275,000 acres of the Siskiyou National Forest in southwestern Oregon said Monday.

A few drops of rain fell on the area Monday night.

Lohrey said about 25 percent of the containment line on the eastern flank of the fires has yet to be burned out, but a warming and drying trend beginning midweek will make that job easier, without whipping the fires to the explosive energy they showed a week ago.

"There's still a lot of fire out there," Lohrey said. "Until we can make that area black and the area is contained, the threat is real."

Though Florence was just 10 percent contained, and Sour Biscuit 15 percent, the threat diminished enough for the standing evacuation warning for the valley's 17,000 residents to be downgraded from two hours to four hours, meaning people should be ready to leave on four hours' notice.

Sheriff's deputies checking on the homes of about 1,200 people who evacuated the area have found three-quarters of them returned, said Josephine County sheriff's Lt. Lee Harman.

Illinois Valley Fire Chief Kyle Kirchner said he was not ready to lift the evacuation warning yet, because the warming trend will make the fire more volatile.

"We're very concerned about lifting it too soon if we get abnormal heat and would like to see how the fuels react," to the change in the weather, Kirchner said.

The threat remained high enough for Mayor Ed Faircloth to go ahead and cancel this weekend's Blackberry Festival, which brings an extra 5,000 people to the valley, but low enough for Susie and Jim Wood to take a break from five days of cutting brush around their home within sight of the fire line.

"I can't say it's not a little scary, especially as I look out the kitchen window and see an awful lot of smoke swirling around," said Susie Wood. "I think they've got a handle on it."

At the Illinois Valley Golf Course, smoke hugging the ground forced pro shop manager Bob Paul to quit playing on the back nine, but did not deter Kenny Lewis from his daily round.

"We're going to go out and see if we can find the ball in this smoke," he said.

While seven major fires continued burning across more than 462,000 acres in Oregon, the Florence and Sour Biscuit fires remained the top priority in the nation for scarce resources.

Favorable winds kept the northern flank of the fire from advancing on the rural communities of Agness and Oak Flat, located at the confluence of the Illinois and Rogue rivers, where firefighters cleared brush around homes and bulldozers dug containment lines, said spokeswoman Susan Mathison.

The fire was three miles from Oak Flat and six from Agness, but there was no evacuation notice in force, Mathison said. However, fire commanders marked their maps with 72-hour and 48-hour trigger points which, if the fire reaches them, will prompt deputies to go door-to-door warning residents to be ready to leave within 72 hours and 48 hours.

Harman said deputies arrested a Grants Pass man on charges of impersonating a firefighter and stealing some turkeys and chickens from a home where he advised residents to flee.

Wearing a yellow Nomex fire shirt with homemade patches identifying him as a firefighter, Kenton Bowden knocked on doors in the Selma area Sunday night telling people to evacuate, and tried to get into fire camp, Harman said. He was arrested Monday morning after going to the sheriff's office to ask why he had heard his name on his police scanner.

The fire still has the potential, given the right weather conditions, to run down the Chetco River to the coast or jump over Chrome Ridge and descend on the Rogue River near the whitewater rafting center of Galice, Lohrey said.

Reflecting the changing threat, fire commanders stopped the every-other-night community meetings at Illinois Valley High School, but held their first one in Galice, located on the Rogue River about 15 miles northeast of the fire perimeter.

Other Oregon fires causing major concern are:

--The Tiller Complex east of Canyonville, at 31,052 acres and 25 percent containment, threatening 15 residences.

--The Timbered Rock Fire 20 miles north of Medford, 75 percent contained at nearly 26,000 acres.

[farmfriend]

I'll help you keep it bumped.

[farmfriend]

Since it has been removed from Breaking news, perhaps you can have it put on Extended news. Seems apropriate and would keep it on the side bars.

[Grampa Dave]

It is under Extended News Now. Thanks.

[Grampa Dave]

The thread was no pulled.

It was considered to be Extended News and is there.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this. It is important to those living in SW Oregon.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the update re the westward and northward movement of the wilderness fire. ============================================================

The following report is for the western half of the Florence Fire.

At Risk: Private residences in Oak Flat (Curry Co.), Agness, and Wilderness Retreat on the Chetco River.

Closures: The entire Siskiyou National Forest is under a fire closure. All open campfires are prohibited. Most Forest Service roads and trails south of the Agness Road (#33) are closed to public access and the Upper Rogue River Trail is closed. Bear Camp Road (#23) road closure is now in effect; travel is limited to emergency fire traffic only.

[farmfriend]

Good to hear. I'll still make an effort to keep it bumped.

[EBUCK]

BTTFT!

EBUCK

[wanderin]

I will be there tomorrow. If I can get time, I will try for some more pictures and info.

[Grampa Dave]

Looking forward to your pictures. Either Freepmail or post them on the next non important thread of the fires of SW Oregon.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for your help and concern.

[farmfriend]

I grew up in the woods. Lassen National and Tahoe National to be spacific. I have a true love of the forest. That is why I support Carry_Okie's work so much.

[Grampa Dave]

More eco terrorism via their big tool, the bad science of Salmon in the NW. (Latest eco/economic terrorism via the Great Salmon Hoax)

[Grampa Dave]

As you know, the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Fire was named the Florence Fire by the Florist Circus people to avoid calling it the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Fire.

Well, folks, this map of the fire on 5 August shows that there ain't much of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness left. Then little green shaded area around the west, north and south side of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness is all that was left 24 hours ago.

So the enviralists main Druid Cathedral in the Pacific Northwest has burnt up as a result of their no roads, no logging or removal of dead trees and of course no brush removal.

Can you image the uproar if a lumber company had an accident and caused the Kalmiopsis Wilderness to disappear?

Most of the world, the USA and most Oregonians are not aware that the Kalmiopsis Wilderness is now dead trees and ash. They think that some mythical fire, the Florence Fire is burning some where.

[EBUCK]

Hell, florence aint even close enough to appear on that map.

EBUCK

[Grampa Dave]

Apparently this was a little trick developed during the Babbitt/Clintoon years by the pink panty wearing florist circus.

They would pick some weird name that nothing to do with a wilderness, national park, or forest burning. Like the EBuck Burn north of Klamath Falls.

Just part of the miss and diss information system by the Florist Circus Bozos playing forest rangers.

[madfly]

BTTT

[Grampa Dave]

I just got this warning on my weather warning advisory. ============================================================

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 330 PM PDT TUE AUG 6 2002

...A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING FOR THE TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST AND THE LAKE-NAPA-SONOMA RU...

THE WATCH IS FOR LOW HUMIDITY...POOR NIGHTTIME RH RECOVERY AND LOCALLY BREEZY NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS.

THIS INCLUDES FIRE WEATHER ZONES... 541...536...561...558...559...

THE AXIS OF AN UPPER LEVEL TROF WILL GRADUALLY MOVE ACROSS EXTREME NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

IN THE WAKE OF THIS WEATHER SYSTEM SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL QUICKLY BUILD ACROSS OREGON AND NEVADA WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY.

THE STRONGEST OFFSHORE FLOW WILL BE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY NIGHT WHEN LOCALLY BREEZY NORTH TO NORTHEAST WIND WILL OCCUR. IN THE UPPER LEVELS HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO DOMINATE THE REGION LEADING TO WARMER TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY AND VERY LOW HUMIDITY.

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS AND FIRE CREWS IN THE FIELD OF THIS FIRE WEATHER WATCH.

This is what I have been concerned with. When this happens and that High forms up NEN of here, that can create the Banana Belt Days in the SW coast of Oregon. Then you have hot and windy days with the wind coming from the east down to the ocean from Brookings to Port Orford.

Gramof8 keep alert in case this does happen.

If it happens, we will seen big concerns for the safety of all west of this fire in Curry County from Brookings to Gold Beach and Port Orford if the fire jumps the Rogue River.

Also, the area from Crescent City to Brookings can be effected.

[Grampa Dave]

Hey I'm out of here for awhile.

If anyone has a way to connect to one of these up to date and reliable weather service, please check and see what they are saying for Curry and Josephine Counties in Oregon.

Take care and stay safe.

[farmfriend]

Promised bump.