wildfire Rum Creek Fire burn scar and nearby towns map 9.4.22

wildfire Rum Creek Fire Labor Day Weekend infrared burn map with key 9.2.22

MERLIN, Ore. -- Today the Rum Creek Fire's Unified Command says, "Nearly the entire Rum Creek Fire is encircled by well-defined control lines."

That progress has some crews starting to stand down from the fire.  Fire personnel are listed at 2,098 today for the Rum Creek Fire and its 18,966 burned acres, one week into the fire's unified command and two weeks today since Northwest Incident Management Team took charge of the fire response.

Containment on the deadly northern Josephine County wildfire is advancing as firefighters get slightly cooler, more humid weather to make progress containing it.

Containment has risen to 27%, reaching that level yesterday in about a two-day span, up from 1% reported Thursday.  The Unified Command (UC) says "containment" is an expression of confidence that a wildfire's control lines will work given expected fire behavior and weather.

wildfire Rum Creek Fire Labor Day Weekend infrared burn map with key 9.2.22

UC says today, "Nearly the entire Rum Creek Fire is encircled by well-defined control lines. Natural fire spread or tactical firing operations have burned the fuels adjacent to these lines. Crews are mopping up burned areas near the fire’s edges, searching for any hidden pockets of heat that might flare up later and allow the fire to escape fire lines. All of these remaining hot spots must be extinguished to secure the fire edge."

It says parts of the fire's containment line will not be declared "contained" until fire managers agree that segments of fire perimeter have cooled thoroughly and will not breach the line.  UC says, "An increase in containment represents a lot of work: planning and preparing fire lines, deploying hose lays, tactical firings, monitoring for spot fires outside the lines, mopping up, and repeated checks with more mop up as needed."

UC says yesterday fire personnel used tactical firing on the northwest side of the fire until firing operations were suspended when smoke was too thick for ignited fuels to burn well. It says crews plan to complete firing operations today, connecting the line from Mount Peavine north to the Rogue River.

UC says tactical firing also will eliminate fuels at the northeast side of the fire where the fire is slowly progressing through the McKnabe Creek drainage, and to the north and south, crews are mopping up areas near Grave Creek and Stratton Creek.

UC says the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office (OSFM) yesterday began demobilizing its task forces from the Rum Creek Fire.  As two task forces are going to the Double Creek Fire, others are returning to their home units. Other OSFM resources will remain on the Rum Creek Fire for the next three shifts to mop up hot spots near structures, cut hazard trees and patrol Galice Road. Firefighters also are working on structure assessment and planning to the north and southeast of the fire.

UC says also Saturday the aircraft with Distributed Real-Time Infrared (DRTI) completed its last mapping flight for Rum Creek Fire. It has been reassigned to a fire with a greater need for its capabilities. UC says, "Other resources will be released as they are no longer needed, allowing them to go to other fires or back home to prepare for their next assignments."

Evacuations: Existing evacuation orders and notifications remain in place. An interactive map showing evacuation levels according to address can be found at //JosephineCounty.gov/FireMap. For the most current evacuation information and resources, go to Josephine County Incident Information (rvem.org ).

Road control: Josephine County Sheriff’s Office has established traffic access points around the fire zone. Road blocks are located at Galice Road near Crow Road; Galice Store; Bear Camp Road at Peavine (top intersection); Lower Grave Creek Road at Angora Creek (Grays Ranch); Quartz Creek Road about 3 miles up (end of County maintenance); Dutch Henry Road near Kelsey Creek (42 44'56.2/123 40'35.4); and Hog Creek at Galice Road. The National Guard is staffing the roadblocks. Only residents (must show proof of residency) and permitted users will be allowed through.

River status: The Wild section of the Rogue River below Grave Creek will remain open unless fire conditions warrant closure. River status is determined on a day-to-day basis. Please call 541-471-6535 for more information regarding Rogue River permits. No new boating permits will be issued at this time.

wildfire Rum Creek Fire burn scar and nearby towns map 9.4.22

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