News Release from Oregon Dept. of Forestry – Posted on FlashAlert: August 8th, 2015 8:29 PM
Downloadable file: August_8_Evening_Update.jpg
Stouts Creek Fire
Evening Update
August 8, 2015
Public Information Phone: (541) 825-3724 (7 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4426/
www.facebook.com/StoutsFire
Email: StoutsFire@gmail.com“>StoutsFire@gmail.com
Twitter: @StoutsFire
#StoutsFire
SUNDAY PUBLIC MEETING: August 9th, 7:00 pm Milo VFD
Significant progress was made by firefighters on the 21,858 acre Stouts Creek Fire again today, even though that progress generated smoke which created difficult driving conditions along the Tiller-Trail Hwy. Tonight, the community of Azalea hosted a public meeting and Sunday another meeting will be held in Milo, at 7 pm, at the Volunteer Fire Department.
Crews are focusing attention on the northeast corner where Hatchet Creek feeds into the South Umpqua River. Helicopters and tankers got airborne later on Saturday because of smoke but were very active into the late afternoon cooling the edge of the fire to keep it moving slowly as it approached to 2/10th of a mile from the bottom of the drainage. Fire managers hope crews can complete this line tonight. This portion of the fire where it is active and crews have done some burning, contributed much of the smoke in the area. Crews burnout along the eastern flank just west of Milepost 33 on the Tiller-Trail Hwy, straightening the jagged edge of the fire, removing fuel ahead of the main fire and prepping roads for further burnout possibly tonight. On the southeast corner, there were a few spots over the direct line, all of which were successfully lined by four crews who will continue mopping up that area tonight. Work continues on the southern perimeter, building contingency lines to check the fire should it push south past containment lines. The rest of the fire is in varying stages of mop up.
Smoke continues to be a health and driving concern for the public. People who are planning to drive the Tiller-Trail Hwy on Sunday should plan for extra time as traffic can be congested as people stop to watch the very visible aircraft working near the highway. Those who stop to watch are asked to pull well off the road and not impede fire equipment or other drivers. Those with health concerns should go to their doctor or www.oregonsmoke.blogspot.com where there is information on wildfires and health, as well as access to AQI monitors.
1800 people are now working on the fire, which includes four hotshot crews, 33 Type 2 crews and 18 helicopters. The fire is 30% contained and has reached a cost of $14.3 million. 53% of the fire is on state protected, BLM and private lands, and 47% is on the Umpqua National Forest.
The Stouts Creek Fire is burning on private timberlands, other tracts of private land, Bureau of Land Management and Umpqua National Forest lands. The fire is being managed cooperatively by the Oregon Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service. Wildland fire suppression direction is coming from the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Incident Management Team 1.
