Document text
CLEAR Temp: 65 °F Wind: WNW at 4 mph Saturday, August 3, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend August 3, 2002 Burnouts between the Florence fire and containment lines flared into 100-foot flames when winds kicked up Friday morning. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Wind fuels burnouts Florence fire may emit smoke until it’s doused by fall rains, officials say By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune SELMA — Fanned by erratic winds, orange flames flashed more than 100 feet high late Friday morning after firefighters armed with drip torches burned out areas between the Florence fire and a fireline. Although acknowledging it got a little dicey at times, fire officials say the strategy of burning out ahead of the fire to prevent the estimated 170,000-acre blaze from creeping east into residential areas remains on track. "It was successful, but a little more than we expected," said Forest Service spokesman Tom Valluzzi. "When the inversion layer lifted (Friday morning), the winds picked up quite a bit. "It showed us just how touchy it still is, that these are still very extreme fire conditions," he added. "It actually scared us." At one point, helicopters with buckets carrying 750 gallons of water were called in to douse hot spots in the area being burned out west of Selma and northwest of Kerby, he said. "But we were able to burn to the black — we stayed in the prescription," he said. The burning out program will continue between the 30-mile fireline and the fire, both on the Florence fire and the 40,000-acre Sour Biscuit fire. The two fires are now less than two miles apart. Officials predict they will eventually grow together west of O’Brien. Both fires, ignited by a July 13 lightning storm in the Siskiyou National Forest, were considered 5 percent contained by fireline Friday night. However, that percentage fluctuates each day, depending on the fires’ growth. Valluzzi didn’t know how many acres had been burned out. "We’ve still got lots of burning out left to do," he said, adding that it is expected to take weeks. With each area burned out along the fire line, the threat to the towns of Selma, Kerby, Cave Junction and O’Brien decrease, Valluzzi said. Contrary to some news reports, the predicted rain in the forecast would not hamper the strategy, officials said. "It would take a lot of rain to douse the area so that we couldn’t continue burning out," Valluzzi said. "And if we do get that much rain, that would be very good news." However, officials are concerned that the change in weather, which includes cooler temperatures and a chance of rain beginning Sunday, also could bring dangerous wind gusts. On the northwest flank of the Florence fire, firefighters continue to expand firelines to protect the community of Agness near the mouth of the Illinois River. Fire officials say smoke from the interior of the two huge fires likely will continue until they are doused by fall rains. The estimated 20,000 residents in the Illinois Valley remain on a 30-minute evacuation notice. Meanwhile, Highway 199 at the California state line opened to one-lane escorted traffic Friday evening, according to a spokesman for the Six Rivers National Forest. The highway between the state line and the town of Gasquet has been closed by the Shelly Creek Fire since Monday. That 850-acre fire was 95 percent contained Friday night. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S