Milepost 97 Fire half-contained; much work remains

Containment on the more than 13,000-acre Milepost 97 Fire in southwest Oregon has reached 50 percent. But saying that firefighters have reached the halfway point of putting the fire out is an understatement, officials said in Sunday’s update.

Here’s the rest of what the Oregon Department of Forestry had to share:

Hand line dug by fire crews and bulldozers have constructed line completely surround the 13,119-acre fire.

The majority of the work that lies before them is mopping up, or preventing hot spots from flaring up and crossing established containment lines.

A high pressure weather system was forecast to remain over the fire Sunday, producing high temperatures and low humidity. The public may see areas of smoke rising from well within the interior of the fire where unburned pockets of fuel exist.

A Level 1 evacuation notification remains in effect for public safety. Level 1 means that residents should be “ready” to evacuate if conditions warrant. Fire officials say that many areas of Oregon should consider themselves in Level 1 when fire season is in effect.

Cooperators assisting partner agencies ODF, DFPA and BLM on the fire include the U.S. Forest Service, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Roseburg Resources, Silver Butte Resources, Lone Rock Timber, Williams Pipeline, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Transportation.

Size: 13,119 Acres
Containment: 50%
Start Date: July 24, 2019, 10:00 pm
Expected Containment Date: Unknown
Location: One mile south of Canyonville, Oregon
Cause: Human Caused (illegal campfire)
Est. Cost: $14.9 million
Personnel: 1,371

Resources:
58 hand crews
40 Engines
17 Dozers
32 Water Tenders

Aircraft:
2 Type 1 Helo
2 Type 2 Helo
2 Type 3 Helo

Evacuations: Level 1
Structures Threatened: 586
Structures Damaged: 0
Structures Destroyed: 0
Closures: None