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Rum Creek Fire Holds Through Cold Front

MERLIN, Ore. – A cold front moved past the Rum Creek Fire late on Friday, bringing gusty winds. The winds were strongest on the ridges and in drainages with a west-east alignment, with gusts recorded up to 25 mph. The fire stayed within the primary fire lines except for two spot fires, near Crawford House by Galice and west of McKnabe Creek. Firefighters attacked these spot fires and kept them small. Today, aircraft will use infrared imaging to search for additional spot fires.

Currently, most acreage gains on the fire are from strategic firing operations inside the primary control lines. By carefully igniting remaining fuels inside fire lines, firefighters have more control over the location and rate of fire spread. These operations strengthen the direct fire lines. Crews are using hand ignition with drip torches and aerial ignitions by the Unmanned Aerial System. Strategic firings usually result in a low-intensity burn, consuming the ground fuels but not the trees.

Fire personnel completed a strategic firing operation near Grave Creek yesterday, tying in another critical section of the fire perimeter. Direct lines are holding the fire, restricting spread further to the east. Where possible, firefighters are using lines hand-dug directly on the edge of the fire, combined with strategic firings, to stop advancement. In other areas where the fire is burning more intensely or fuels are more abundant, a direct hand line is unlikely to hold. In these areas, firefighters are using indirect lines constructed by dozers and existing roads as containment lines. Fire personnel are mopping up residual heat near the fire lines on all areas of the fire.

On the west, firefighters have completed strategic burning on over half of the line between Mount Peavine and the Rogue River to the north. This work continued until midnight Friday when the relative humidity (RH) increased. At that point, fine fuels like grasses and brush absorbed enough moisture and would not burn well. Firing will continue today when fuel and weather conditions are appropriate.

Office of State Fire Marshal personnel continue to mop up remaining hot spots near structures, and are patrolling areas along Galice Road for possible spot fires caused by wind-blown embers. Firefighters are working on structure assessment and pre-planning in the Crow Road, Hugo Road, Quartz Creek Road and Picket Creek Road neighborhoods southeast of the fire.

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).