More evacuations on 6,500-acre SW Oregon wildfire

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order Friday for 35 more homes on the south end of a 6,500-acre wildfire east of Canyonville, though about two dozen others on the north side were allowed to go home, officials said.

The Stouts Fire, about 11 miles east of Canyonville near the community of Milo, was reported Thursday at 1 p.m. Firefighters from the Douglas Forest Protective Association and numerous volunteer fire departments responded to the fire.

When firefighters arrived on scene, they found a fast-moving fire already several acres in size. Hot, windy conditions combined with very dry fuels caused the fire to grow extremely fast and sparked numerous spot fires in front of the main fire, officials said.

The intensity of the main fire, combined with the numerous spot fires in front of itself, caused the Stouts Fire to “blow up,” going from several hundred acres to about 6,000 acres in a matter of hours.

Several homes in the area were threatened by the fire, but officials said late Thursday night no homes have been burned.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office issued a level 3 (GO) evacuation notice for nearly two dozen homes on Stouts Creek Road, Ferguson Lane and Conley Lane. A Level 1 (READY) evacuation notice was issued for all homes on Upper Cow Creek, east of Snow Creek Road.

A Red Cross shelter was opened at the Canyonville Elementary School, located at 124 N. Main Street in Canyonville, though as often is the case, no one was there late Thursday night, as residents presumably chose to stay elsewhere.

The acreage estimate rose to 6,500 acres late Friday as crews worked in challenging terrain, the Oregon Department of Forestry reported.

Officials said the blaze burned actively late into Thursday night, moving southeast, before laying down in the early-morning hours. A spokesman said it took until Friday afternoon for an inversion to burn off, delaying the active burning period.

Friday evening, residents on Ferguson Lane, Stouts Creek and Conley Lane were allowed to go home, but a Level 2 (BE READY) alert was still in place, meaning residents needed be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

About 450 firefighters were focusing their efforts on opening access roads to the fire and anchoring into its “heel” to begin building lines.

Oregon Department of Forestry spokesman Rod Nichols said the fire was burning in varied fuel types, including younger trees, second-growth and old-growth, mainly Douglas fir.

Governor Kate Brown invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act Thursday night in response to the fire, so the state fire marshal can mobilize resources from around the state to protect homes from the blaze, which threatened about 50 homes and put another 300 at risk.

“The Stouts Fire has grown very quickly since beginning early Thursday and is already putting homes at risk,” Brown said..”As temperatures rise across Oregon this week, the Stouts Fire has explosively grown amid record-setting fuel conditions and extreme drought. This declaration allows us to quickly dedicate more resources to the fire in the effort to save lives and property.”

The area near Canyonville has a history of explosive wildfires, The Associated Press reported. The 1987 Bland Mountain fire destroyed 14 homes and killed loggers Mark Giles and James Moore.

The Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 1 arrived at the Stouts Fire Friday morning and was briefed by the Douglas Forest Protective Association. ODF IMT 1 was scheduled to assume command of the fire by midday. The Incident Command Post for the Stouts Fire will be located at Days Creek Charter School.

An Inciweb site has been created for the Stouts Fire at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4426/

As predicted, the Cable Crossing Fire reared its head at about 4 p.m. Friday afternoon, producing a plume of smoke that could be seen from as far as Coquille.

As the fire continues to grow to the south and west, firefighters have been taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves and falling back to strengthen contingency lines when the fire behavior threatens firefighter safety. The fire is now estimated at 1,110 acres and 15 percent contained.

A Level One (READY) evacuation alert was issued Friday evening for the Peel Store to Wolf Creek Trailhead.

In the Ready, Set, Go or 1, 2, 3 evacuation level system, a Level 1 “Ready” notification is in place from the Peel Store to the Wolf Creek Trail Head. As indicated, a Level 1 Evacuation notification encourages those affected to be ready should the fire continue to move towards these areas. That means making preparations and precautionary movements of persons with special needs, livestock and pets.

Working alongside bulldozers, helicopters and retardant dropping air tankers, crews continue to strengthen contingency lines with hopes of conducting burnout operations under favorable conditions in the next couple of days. These tactics will eliminate fuels between control lines and the head of the fire, which will take away the fire’s momentum.

Weather continues to pose the biggest challenge. The threat of thunderstorm activity will continue to bring erratic winds to the fire area. High temperatures, low humidity and drought conditions are also hampering firefighting efforts.

A community meeting is planned for Saturday evening at the Glide Fire Department at 7:00 p.m., where fire managers will provide information and answer questions.
Highway 138 is remains open with a pilot car escort through the fire area.

The fire is burning on private and public lands in the heart of the North Umpqua Wild and Scenic Corridor six miles east of Glide. While private landowners have closed their holdings to the public,

The federal Bureau of Land Management has also imposed a fire area closure. Forest roads remain closed in and around the fire area. In addition, Industrial Fire Precaution Level IV is in effect throughout the Douglas District that prohibits forest operations due to extreme fire danger. Public use restrictions, such as campfires, mowing of dry grass and off-road driving have also been tightened.

Nearly 800 firefighters are on the blaze, with an estimated cost to date of $800,000.

For up to date fire information, visit https://www.facebook.com/CableCrossingFire.

The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Incident Management Team 3 assumed command of the Cable Crossing Fire Thursday afternoon in an effort to bring in additional resources from around the region and provide needed relief to local fire crews.

Cooperating agencies and landowners on the fire include Douglas Forest Protective Association, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Lone Rock Timber Company, Seneca Jones Timber Company, Forest Investments Associates, Roseburg Forest Products, ODOT, PP&L, and several local firefighters and forest workers.

An InciWeb site for the Cable Crossing Fire is at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4424/

The cause of both fires are under investigation.