Document text
The Taylor Creek fire , the second-largest in Southern Oregon, is almost fully contained after firefighters made significant headway mopping up and strengthening control lines. Burning in a 52,588-acre area, the Taylor Creek fire is 95 percent contained but fire officials say it’s difficult to estimate when it might be fully corralled. “It’s entirely dependent on the weather,” said Peter Frenzen, public information officer for the fire. “It’s also a significant change to go from 95 percent to 100 percent contained.” While firefighters have made significant progress on the Taylor Creek fire, the Klondike fire to the south is 32 percent contained, still a significant improvement over a few days ago when it was at 15 percent. Both fires were started by lightning July 15. Weather forecasts call for cooler temperatures over the next week, which might aid firefighters. “If the weather turned and became moist, that would make a difference,” Frenzen said. The Klondike fire remains the largest in Southern Oregon at 76,098 acres. The Klondike and Taylor Creek fires have joined together, remaining west of Highway 199 in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. The southwest front of the Klondike fire has headed into the area burned last year in the 192,000-acre Chetco Bar fire. Both fires this year are also burning in the same terrain as the 500,000-acre Biscuit fire, Oregon’s largest conflagration, in 2002. The Taylor Creek fire has a solid control line around most of its boundary, except on the farthest western edge. Smoke from the interior will continue to be generated as it gobbles up unburnt fuels. The Klondike has a control line on its eastern flank near Selma as well as a small section along the south flank. Air tankers have dropped retardant on a ridge along the southeast border of the Klondike fire. Helicopters have made multiple water drops in the same area. Crews are continuing to create backburns to widen the buffer along the south edge of the Klondike. A request has been made for more mop-up crews to help with containment lines on the Klondike fire, but a limited number of hand crews are available because of all the fires in the Pacific Northwest. Crews have cleared along roads to the west of the Klondike fire as a contingency line that could help drive the fire back to the Chetco Bar fire burn area. While Frenzen said it would be difficult to predict when the Taylor Creek would be 100 percent contained, incident commanders estimate it will be Sept. 19. “I’m guessing it’s going to be a while,” he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on @ reporterdm .