Single Publication

Size: 94,508 acres (12,460 ac. in Oregon); Location: Grants Pass, OR; Cause: Lightning

Containment: 85%; Start date: August 15, 2023; Total personnel: 1,091

Resources: 22 crews   3 helicopters   26 engines   8 dozers  16 water tenders  4 masticators   1 skid steer 
 

This will be the last formal Update for Smith River Complex North

Down-sizing of incident management organization planned for Wednesday, September 27th. Northwest Incident Management Team 8 will be turning over management of the fire to a smaller incident management organization, referred to as a Type 3 Team. Although the management organization will be reduced, objectives for the fire remain the same and firefighters will continue working toward their completion. Daily updates will be ongoing from the south area of the Smith River Complex and information will be available at the following websites: Facebook: www.facebook.com/SixRiversNF and https://bit.ly/SmithRiverCxInci.  The public may also call 541-646-9177, or email: 2023.smithrivercomplex@firenet.gov 

Yesterday: The heavy rain that was predicted arrived early morning and by mid-afternoon, nearly 2.5 inches of rain had fallen across the fire area. Fire operations managers assessed field conditions early in the morning. It was determined that the roads and ground conditions were not capable of holding up to the heavy equipment use needed to finish the secondary containment line northwest of the fire and to conduct other suppression repairs. Fire personnel were directed to stand down until conditions out on the ground improved. Flood warnings and a wind advisory remained in effect.

Today’s activities: This morning fire operations managers will be assessing road and ground conditions to determine if operations can resume following heavy rains the past 24 hours. Planned actions include continuing to build the secondary control along the FS 1106 road and finishing up suppression repairs along the northern and eastern portions of the fire perimeter. Firefighters remain prepared to respond to natural resource-related hazards, such as downed trees, rock falls and mudslides.

Evacuations: The Josephine County Sheriff has set the evacuation status to Level 1-BE READY. Levels will be reevaluated on a recurring basis. This includes the area west of US-199 in Josephine County, including the community of O’Brien and to the Oregon-California border. Monitor the Rogue Valley Emergency Management site and sign up for evacuation alerts, updates and an interactive Fire First Response Map with evacuation areas here: https://rvem.org/.

Smoke: Heavy rainfall, gusty winds, and onshore flow have cleared the area of smoke and dampened fire behavior bringing much needed relief. With prolonged inclement weather, good air quality is expected until drier conditions allow increased fire activity and new smoke production (source: wildfire smoke outlook). Check current conditions at: https://bit.ly/SWORsmoke.

Area Closures: A closure is in place on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest for Forest Road 1106 (South Elk Mountain Road), Forest Road 1205 (Lower Wheeler Road), and Forest Road 1983 (Mt. Emily Road) until October 31, 2023 or until rescinded. 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.

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/.