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L/FOG Temp: 45 °F Wind: SSE at 3 mph Saturday, November 23, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 12, 2002 Biscuit fire threatens power lines At nearly 334,000 acres, the blaze is now bigger than the 1933 Tillamook Burn. The Tiller Complex fires were only 25 percent contained Sunday as crews focused on building lines Wire and staff reports Oregon’s largest wildfire in more than a century threatened power lines feeding several northern California towns Sunday as crews tried to stop a slow creep along its southeastern flank. Hand crews had created three or four fire lines in front of the advancing flames west of O’Brien, but said they would have to ask Pacific Power to shut down the power lines if the wildfire got too close. When carbon-rich smoke thickens around the cables, it can cause the electricity from the lines to arc, endangering firefighters. Turning off the power would put the California towns of Gasquet, Hiouchi and Crescent City in the dark, said Leah Rosin, an Oregon Department of Forestry spokeswoman. A 400-acre spot fire started Thursday when flames jumped a containment line in the same area, leading to the voluntary evacuation of Gasquet’s 800 residents. They were allowed to return home Saturday. "It’s going to be days (before it’s stopped) and it keeps chunking along," Rosin said of the fire. "It’s not rushing anywhere, it’s just creeping along." The 333,891-acre Biscuit fire, formerly called the Florence fire, covers about 460 square miles in Oregon and California and is so large three separate management teams are handling different parts of the fire. Full containment for the portion of the fire south of the California border is expected by Thursday, Rosin said. The rest of the fire is only about 25 percent contained. Meanwhile, humid conditions and a wind from the northeast overnight helped firefighters working on the fire’s northern flank, near the tiny community of Agness, said Nigel Baker, a Forest Service spokesman. Crews set burnout fires — used to rob the main blaze of its fuel — until midnight, taking advantage of the favorable winds, he said. "It’s kind of burning back onto itself on the slopes," Baker said. On the fire’s eastern side, weather conditions were less favorable, with hot, dry weather predicted into the week. Hotter weather was also expected to hit the fire’s western side Monday, hampering firefighting activity. "We are expecting a change tomorrow with real high temperatures and low humidity. We’re anticipating possibly some fire activity tomorrow," said Dick Fleischman, a Forest Service spokesman. In Curry County, a pre-evacuation notice posted Friday was still in effect Sunday, Baker said. The notice was issued to make sure residents were ready to leave immediately if the fire moved closer to a few dozen homes scattered along river canyons near the ocean in the southwest corner of Oregon. The blaze is now larger than the 1933 Tillamook Burn, which charred 311,000 acres. There are indications some 19th century fires may have covered more ground, however. National forest management did not begin until after the Forest Service was established in the 1890s. North of the Rogue Valley, the Tiller Complex fires continued to rage 25 miles east of Canyonville, with only 25 percent containment reported. Crews on Sunday focused their efforts on building fire lines, burnouts, patrol and mop-up. South Umpqua Road was still closed at the six-mile marker. The blaze has covered more than 40,124 acres, and on Sunday 15 structures were threatened. No containment date has been predicted. Umpqua National Forest officials report more than $15 million has been spent battling the Tiller blaze. The Tiller Complex fire was sparked by lightning July 12. In Washington, a fast-moving wildfire broke out Saturday night near the small town of Murdock, in the Columbia River Gorge. Fire officials issued a voluntary evacuation notice to about 400 people. Four houses, three outbuildings and some cars burned, but the 400-acre fire was about 75 percent mopped up Sunday. 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