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CONTINUING COVERAGE: WILDFIRES Firefighters at National Creek fire complex get help from weather Comment By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 19, 2015 at 11:01 PM By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 19, 2015 at 11:01 PM » Social News CRATER LAKE — On Wednesday afternoon, the weather forecast at the National Creek fire complex looked encouraging through about Sunday: humidity up, temperatures down. Firefighters are hoping to take advantage of the change in the weather as work to contain the 7,021-acre lightning-sparked fire continues. "There is (thermal) trough that is forecast to arrive next Sunday over the weekend, but until then, temperatures are going to moderate a little bit," said fire spokesman Stan Hinatsu. "We should see temperatures go down, humidity go up."  The forecast comes on the heels of a weaker-than-expected thermal trough that was expected to bring erratic winds Tuesday, but got delayed, giving fire crews calmer conditions for work. "The thermal trough that was coming over kind of got hung up west of the Cascades and didn't cause the fire activity they expected," fire spokeswoman Shannon O'Brien said. "(Crews) definitely took advantage of the opportunity to work on those containment lines that are out further and do a lot of work on contingency lines."  But severe winds or not, the fire complex still grew another 800 acres Tuesday into Wednesday, bringing the total burned acreage to about 7,021. All of that growth came on the Crescent fire, which has burned about 6,900 acres. The smaller National fire has stayed put at 120 acres for several days. The full fire complex, on the northwest boundary of Crater Lake National Park and the Rogue River-Siskyou National Forest, remained at 10 percent containment Wednesday.  An estimated date for full containment on the complex has been set for more than a month out on Sept. 30, according to the Incident Information System website .  The air quality forecast from the Oregon Smoke Blog promises better news for some area residents impacted by smoke from the fire and others burning in Northern California. Medford, Grants Pass and Jacksonville are forecast to have "good" air quality Thursday. Ashland, Cave Junction, Applegate and Tiller are expected to be at "moderate" levels. The air quality in Shady Cove and Prospect is predicted to be "unhealthy for sensitive groups.  O'Brien said burnout operations on the northeast and southern portions of the fire were key steps Wednesday, with a test burnout on a dozer line between highways 230 and 138. Planned burnouts could close a portion of Highway 138 between mileposts 84 and 86, with a pilot car escorting traffic, according to a daily update from Crater Lake National Park.  Numerous road and trail closures are already in effect because of firefighting efforts. Highway 230 is closed from its junction with Highway 62 north of Prospect to its terminus at Highway 97. Crater Lake Park's north entrance remains closed, meaning Bend-bound Medford residents can't cut through the park to get around the Highway 230 closure. Instead, drivers must use Highway 140 to reach Highway 97 via Klamath County. The Bert Creek, Bald Crater Loop and Boundary Springs trails remain closed inside the park, as does the Pacific Crest Trail from the park's northern boundary to its junction with the Lightning Spring Trail. All other park roads and facilities are open. At nearby Diamond Lake, a sizable portion of the Mount Bailey area west of the recreation area and the area south are also still closed. The closure area includes portions of Forest Service roads 37, 4795, 3703 and 4786. The Broken Arrow Campground, South Shore Picnic Area, South Diamond Sno-Park, Mount Thielsen Viewpoint, Hemlock Cabin and trailheads for Rodley Butte, Mount Bailey and Silent Creek trails are also closed, as are trails 1451, 1452 and 1481 to Rodley Butte, Mount Bailey and Silent Creek. A Level 1 evacuation advisory remains in effect for Diamond Lake, meaning anyone at the site should be prepared to leave.  Crews continue to gain footing on the Stouts Creek fire, burning in southern Douglas County. On Wednesday afternoon, the 25,324-acre fire was 74 percent contained, with full containment expected by Wednesday, Aug. 26, an IIS report showed.  Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 19, 2015 at 11:01 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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