Firefighters on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest chased fires over much of the forest after lightning storms pelted some areas with lightning.
Currently there are 12 total confirmed fires in the US Forest Service jurisdiction. Three fires are contained and one is controlled. There are also seven reports of smoke that were not found, Firefighters and aerial reconnaissance flights will continue to search for these reported smokes.
All 12 of the confirmed fires are being actively suppressed with firefighters. Four of the fires are staffed with smokejumpers from Bureau of Land Management Burns, USFS Redding and USFS Redmond smokejumpers. Rappellers from USFS John Day and Grande Ronde are staffing two fires. The rest of the fires are staffed with ground-based firefighters such as crews, engines, tenders, and fallers.
Fires are spread across three ranger districts on the Forest, and all are ¾ of an acre or less:
- The largest fire is the Iron Fire, ¾ of an acre, located near Steve Peak on the SMRD.
- One fire on the Siskiyou Mountain Ranger District (SMRD) near Beaver Creek is controlled.
- Two fires on the Wild Rivers Ranger District (WRRD) near the Oregon Caves are contained.
- Two fires on the north end of the High Cascades Ranger District off of Highway 230 including the Hamaker Fire mentioned in a previous release.
- There are six additional fires on the border of SMRD and WRRD in the Swan Mountain area.
Aerial reconnaissance was flown twice yesterday and will continue to be used as an important detection tool to find sleeper fires over the next week or two. Flights will also look for the smoke reports that were not located.
Firefighting resources remain available and ready to respond to newly reported fires. Three more Type 2 Initial Attack Crews will arrive today to assist with the firefighting effort.
