Firefighters hold Lookout, other fire containment lines during weekend hot spell but will welcome cooldown’s assist
(Update: Monday fire updates)
McKENZIE BRIDGE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Lookout Fire on the Willamette National Forest put up much more smoke again this weekend due to the hot, windy conditions, but containment lines held on the more than month-old blaze, still 50% contained, and cooler weather will help them continue mop-up and other work.
Here are Monday's updates on the Willamette National Forest an other Oregon wildfires:
Lookout, Horse Creek, Pothole & Bedrock Fires
Monday, September 18, 2023 - Morning Update
Lookout, Horse Creek and Pothole Fires Total Personnel: 763 Assigned Resources: 24 engines l 12 crews l 4 dozers l 23 water tenders l 7 masticators l 4 helicopters l 2 skidders
Lookout Fire: Size: 25,467 acres l Start Date: August 5 l Cause: Lightning l Containment: 50%
Firefighters held containment lines as fire activity increased Sunday afternoon. Helicopters and Fire Bosses (single engine fixed-wing air tankers) dropped water on the northern perimeter. More seasonable cooler weather is returning to the fire area Monday, which is expected to moderate fire activity through the week. Although the fire will be less active, firefighters have an array of tasks to complete on this wildfire, including mop up, slash chipping, woody debris removal, repairing dozer lines, and building water bars. Water bars, or small trench constructed with hand tools or excavators on a sloping containment line, are erosion control measures designed to channel water in burned areas. The post-suppression operations are essential to restoring the area to a natural state before seasonal rain and snow arrive to prevent roads from washing out, reduce future fuel loading and provide protection for waterways.
Horse Creek Fire: Size: 763 acres l Start Date: August 24 l Cause: Lightning l Containment: 100%
The Horse Creek Fire is now 100 percent contained. Patrol and mop up operations are ongoing, while also repairing containment lines. One of the immediate tasks includes chipping and removing woody debris so that this material does not become a potential hazard to forest users or a future fuel source for wildfires.
Pothole Fire: Size: 109 acres l Start Date: August 25 l Cause: Lightning l Containment: 100%
The Pothole Fire is 100 percent contained. Firefighters continue to patrol and monitor. Resources are repairing the impact on the landscape, as a big part of firefighting is the clean-up process after a fire is contained.
Bedrock Fire: Total Personnel: 107 | Size: 31,590 acres l Start Date: July 22 l Cause: under investigation l Containment: 98%
Assigned Resources: 5 engines l 2 crews l 13 water tenders l 3 masticators l 3 dozers l 1 skidder
Following the guidance of resource advisors, fire crews and heavy equipment operators are engaged in suppression repair throughout the Bedrock Fire perimeter. A significant amount of work remains even though the fire is mostly contained. Resources committed to stabilizing the burned area still face hazards. The Fall Creek area features steep, inaccessible terrain and has had four large wildfires in the last 20 years (Bedrock, Gales, Jones and Clark fires). Many of the road systems remain unsafe for travel and one of the suppression repair missions is to maintain safe forest access for the public, forest staff and firefighters for years to come.
Weather: A trough or cold front will bring offshore flow into the region Monday. Expect increased cloud cover, lower temperatures, and higher relative humidities into Tuesday. Max temperatures will be in the mid-70s and minimum relative humidity will be 25 to 35 percent. There is a chance of precipitation across the fire area on Wednesday and Thursday with below average temperatures and high relative humidities into the weekend.
Linn County Evacuations: A Level 1 (Be Ready) evacuation notice remains in place for the Lookout Fire. Visit the Linn County Sheriff’s Office website for current info: https://www.linnsheriff.org/wildfire_live_updates.
Lane County Evacuations: There are NO evacuations for the Bedrock Fire. Near the Horse Creek and Lookout fires, Horse Creek Road east of the Horse Creek Bridge remains in Level 2 (Be Set) evacuation status. Additionally, some areas along Highway 126 and the eastern portion of Blue River Reservoir are under a Level 1 (Ready) evacuation notice. Visit the Lane County website for more information and to view the interactive evacuation map: https://www.lanecountyor.gov/cms/one.aspx?pageId=19729054
Forest Closures: Emergency closure orders remain in place for the Willamette National Forest. These closure can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/willamette/alerts-notices/?aid=61574. Hunters are encouraged to check current Forest closures before heading out. Keep in mind, these closures are in place for both public and firefighters safety. For current information regarding Oregon hunting regulations, contact Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at (503) 947-6000 or visit https://myodfw.com
Restrictions: Fire Restrictions are in place on the Willamette National Forest. For more information, visit the Willamette National Forest website. Temporary Flight Restrictions remain in place over the Bedrock and Lookout Fire areas.
Smoke Outlook: https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/4c92bc1a The Fire and Smoke Map (fire.airnow.gov) is another source for air quality information.   
Lookout Fire Information: Email: 2023.lookout@firenet.gov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LookoutFire2023 
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/orwif-lookout-fire  
Bedrock Fire Information: Email: 2023.bedrock@firenet.gov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BedrockFire2023/
Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orwif-bedrock-fire
Fire Information Phone Line: 541-215-6735 (staffed 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.)
--
Anvil and Flat Fires Update September 18
Anvil Fire, Flat Fire
News - 09/18/2023
A community meeting will be held tomorrow night at 7 PM at the Sixes Grange Hall and broadcast live on Facebook (link below). Fire managers and local agency representatives will share information and answer questions about the fires.
Anvil Fire
Size: 8,957 acres (later updated to 9,023 acres)
Start Date: August 25, 2023
Location: 8 miles east of Port Orford, OR
Containment: 0%
Total personnel: 688
Resources: 17 crews, 4 helicopters, 25 engines
Fire crews made substantial progress in several areas on the fire yesterday. Hand crews continued burning vegetation from along the previously constructed handline running south from Grassy Knob towards the Fish Hatchery and Elk River Road during favorable weather conditions. Concurrently, engine crews patrolling west along the Elk River road located and contained two spot fires. Helicopters dropped 162,000 gallons of water on the fire in support of ground operations across the fire area. Near residences, firefighters used utilizing water pumps and sprinklers to increase humidity levels.
The Curry County Sheriff’s Office is working closely with federal law enforcement officers assigned to the Anvil Fire to patrol the evacuated areas and ensure the safety of homes and property. Additionally, Curry County is closing China Mountain Road from the south end of Humbug Mountain State Park to the junction with BPA powerlines on the north end, limiting traffic on the roadway to only fire vehicles. Other area closures and evacuation levels are unchanged. This road closure allows large firefighting vehicles and equipment to travel the China Mountain Road with fewer interactions.
Evacuations: Curry County Sheriff’s Office has identified four evacuation zones around the Anvil Fire. An interactive evacuation map is available at https://bit.ly/45UIh2E. Zones 1 and 4 are in Level 3 “Go“ evacuation status. Zones 2 and 3 are in Level 2 “Get Set“ status. Sign up for Curry Co. emergency alerts at https://bit.ly/CurryCoEM.
Flat Fire
Size: 34,242 acres
Start Date: July 15, 2023
Location: 2 miles southeast of Agness, OR
Containment: 75%
Total personnel: 104
Resources: 2 crews, 3 helicopters, 2 engines
Two areas with burning stumps were identified by visible smoke inside the existing containment lines yesterday. Helicopters rapidly delivered 2,500 gallons of water on the hot spots to ensure they would not continue to grow and possibly cross the fireline. Fire engines will continue to patrol and monitor the fire and respond rapidly as needed to any increased fire behavior.
General Information
Weather: A Red Flag Warning, an indication of weather conditions that could contribute to large fire growth, is in effect in the fire area from Sunday at midnight through Monday at noon. Ridgetop winds are expected to reach 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 27 mph. Relative humidity will also be low during this time. Another chance for increased north/northeast winds is forecast for later in the week. Fire managers are coordinating with local agencies to prepare for these weather events and their impact to the fires. Conditions may change quickly. Continue to monitor information sites for the fire status updates.
Smoke: Visit https://bit.ly/SWORsmoke for current smoke and air quality updates.
Area and Road Closures: For the safety of firefighters and the public, the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has issued closure orders for the Anvil and Flat Fire areas. Visit https://bit.ly/RRSNFAlerts for closure maps and information. The Bureau of Land Management’s Edson and Sixes Campgrounds are closed until further notice.
Smoke and the marine cloud layer are mingling and settling in the lower elevations overnight potentially causing limited visibility along highways. Please drive slowly and with headlights on through any fire area. Heavy equipment and firefighter transportation vehicles are also using the area highways and roads. Caltrans issued a schedule of road closures and lane restrictions on US-199. Local law enforcement cautions against any non-essential traffic along this route. For specific information on road access, please see the Caltrans QuickMap site at: https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ and Oregon Department of Transportation site at: https://www.tripcheck.com/. Do not use forest roads for alternate routes.
Notice: InciWeb will be down for maintenance for several hours this evening. Continue to monitor Facebook or Twitter for timely information during this period.
--
Smith River Complex North
Update for Monday, September 18, 2023
Size: 92,180 total/ 12,460 in Oregon
Start Date: August 15, 2023
Location: Grants Pass, OR
Containment: 65%
Total personnel: 1,473 for Complex
Cause: Lightning
Resources: 37 crews 11 helicopters 66 engines 8 bulldozers 26 water tenders 14 masticators 1 Skid Steer
Yesterday: Containment line was increased on the northern edge of the fire to bring containment to 65%. Fire managers are confident the fire will not cross that line, even when challenged by changing weather conditions. Minimal fire activity remains in the interior of the fire area. Crews cleaned up pockets of unburned vegetation on the northwest edge of the fire. Fire activity increased slightly in the powerline corridor and containment lines held.
Today’s Activities: Crews will continue to monitor, mop up, and secure control of the north and northwest portions of the fire boundary and continue to protect the powerline corridor along the 316 road. On the east side of the fire, crews are removing hose, temporary water tanks, and other fire suppression infrastructure around private property, since fire spread is no longer a risk in that area.
Smoke: Expect decreasing smoke throughout the area today with reduced local fire activity. GOOD air quality in Grants Pass, Medford, and Ashland; O'Brien and Cave Junction will experience smoke impacts through afternoon. Smoke levels can change rapidly depending on weather; check current conditions at: https://bit.ly/SWORsmoke
Closures: The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest issued an area and road closure for a 400-yard-wide corridor centered on Forest Road 1106 (South Elk Mountain Road), Forest Road 1205 (Lower Wheeler Road), and Forest Road 1983 (Mt. Emily Road) beginning yesterday, September 14 through October 31, 2023. The closure allows for safe operations related to the Smith River Complex North. Closures on BLM land are in place, as well. Visit bit.ly/RRSNFAlerts or https://www.blm.gov/orwafire for additional information.
Road Closures and Delays: Caltrans in Del Norte County issued a schedule of road closures and lane restrictions on US-199. Weekdays will have a combination of road closure and lane restrictions. Over the weekend, the road will remain open, but with lane restrictions and pilot cars. Expect delays. For specific information on road access, please see the Caltrans QuickMap site https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ and Oregon Department of Transportation’s https://www.tripcheck.com/. Local law enforcement cautions against any non-essential traffic along this route. Navigation apps and mapping programs have been routing travelers into active fire areas. Do not use forest roads as alternate routes.
Evacuations: Monitor the Rogue Valley Emergency Management site and sign up for evacuation alerts and updates at https://rvem.org/. An interactive Fire First Response Map with evacuation areas can also be found there.
Restrictions: Please respect the temporary flight restriction (TFR) established for the Smith River Complex. Keep drones away from firefighting operations and the TFR. If you fly, we can’t. Don’t be the reason a firefighting air mission has to divert! For more information on the TFR, visit https://tfr.faa.gov/.
