STOUTS CREEK FIRE UPDATE – AUG. 23, 2015

News Release from Oregon Dept. of Forestry – Posted on FlashAlert: August 23rd, 2015 11:10 AM

A red sun glows above the fire line today as firefighters expect to spend another day battling the fire in extreme working conditions. An inversion is sitting over the fire area, holding the smoke down at ground level. Operations Section Chief John Pellissier told crew bosses ” to rotate your crews in and out of the super smokey areas in your division today.” Crews will continue work on securing the line by extinguishing hot spots and felling dangerous snags.

The dense smoke will ground helicopters here today but they’ll be available to nearby fires if needed. Late yesterday afternoon, helicopters flew using the Plastic Sphere Device Machine (aka, ping pong machine) to lay a line of fire in the middle of an unburnt area of fuel. The goal is to have the fire consume all the fuels and complete the burnout. This is the final stretch of a long and slow burnout operation needed to complete the team’s objective of containing the fire and minimizing the impacts to the Elk Creek Restoration Project.

A Level 2 Evacuation notice (Get Set) remains in place for residents on Upper Cow Creek Road east of Devils Flat to the end of the road. This precautionary measure is because of high temperatures and low humidities that might cause increased fire behavior.

The Stouts Creek Fire has blackened 26,367 acres and is 84 percent contained and still has the potential for rapid growth. A contingency plan to protect structures on Upper Cow Creek is in place and will be activated if needed. Evacuation levels for all other areas remain at Level 1 (Get Ready).

The Stouts Creek Fire has been managed under unified command by Oregon Department of Forestry Team 2 Incident Commander Chris Cline and Forest Service Incident Commander Mike Wilde, since August 13.

There are 694 personnel assigned to the fire with 11 crews, 15 engines, 18 water tenders, 6 bulldozers and five helicopters. To date, the Stout Creek Fire has cost $34.4 million. The Incident Management Team is protecting lands that are about 46 percent on state protected lands, which include BLM and private lands and 54% on the Umpqua National Forest.
#StoutsFire

FIRE AT A GLANCE
?–? 26,3678 acres
?–? 84% contained
?–? 158 residences threatened
?–? Personnel: 694
?–? Helos: 5
?–? Handcrews: 11
?–? Engines: 15
?–? Dozers: 6
?–? Water Tenders: 18
?–? Evacuations: Level 2 (Get Set) for the area of Upper Cow Creek Road east from Devil’s Flat to the end of the road. All other areas remain in Level 1.

FIRE INFORMATION
Phone: 541-825-3724
Cell: 206-402-7175
stoutsfire@gmail.com

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