Milepost 97 Fire tops 12,000 acres, 15% contained

(Update: Adding smoke issues, drivers taking pictures on I-5)

Progress by firefighters in southwest Oregon has brought the 12,336-acre Milepost 97 Fire to 15 percent containment, officials said Tuesday morning.

Favorable weather allowed crews to establish control lines in several key areas of the fire that broke out near Canyonville last Wednesday night,

Firefighters are focusing much of their effort on the south end of the fire, near Interstate 5, to keep it from spreading toward communities in the area, officials said in the morning update on the fire’s Facebook page.

Single-engine air tankers (SEATs) dropped 26 loads of retardant on the fire on Monday, more than 18,000 gallons.

More than 1,300 personnel are on the fire, with a total estimated cost so far of $5.1 million. Nearly 600 structures are threatened, but none have been lost to the fire, and no closures are reported.

With conditions improving, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and fire managers have lowered the evacuation level for a small group of homes on Ritchie Road from Level 3 (Go!) to Level 2 (Be Set), as of 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Officials said the fire has sent smoke over Interstate 5, forcing authorities to limit traffic on the key north-south highway to one lane because of poor visibility. Some distracted drivers trying to take pictures of the blaze have cause traffic accidents, said Al De Vos, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Forestry.

The smoke prompted the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to warn of unhealthy air conditions in the communities of Ashland and Talent — marking the third time in three years that wildfire smoke has lingered in the area.

At least nine firefighters have suffered minor injuries fighting the wildfire that has burned 19 square miles, including one hit by flying debris.