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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Councilor sorry for how Medford manager was fired; another says council wasn't 'Christ-like' ... Medford youth pastor indicted on federal child porn charges ... Mt. Ashland Ski Area launches $650,000 fundraiser ... Councilor sorry for how Medford manager was fired; another says council wasn't 'Christ-like' ... Medford youth pastor indicted on federal child porn charges ... Mt. Ashland Ski Area launches $650,000 fundraiser ... WILDFIRE Crews take advantage of Buckskin fire's slow growth Comment By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 17, 2015 at 10:21 AM By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted Jun. 17, 2015 at 10:21 AM » Social News Southwest Oregon's largest wildfire of 2015 thus far has gone from a sprint to a crawl over the last two days, and firefighters are trying to capitalize. The interagency firefighting team assigned to the Buckskin fire, burning about 10 miles southwest of Cave Junction in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, reported they are making "excellent progress" in their efforts to build indirect containment lines on the blaze's eastern and southern flanks. Overnight, the fire grew to 2,360 acres, a 140-acre increase from Tuesday, and a 352-acre increase from Monday. Officials believe lightning sparked the fire last Thursday. Since then, the flames have continued to creep deeper into burn scars from the 2002 Biscuit fire, which burned more than 500,000 acres.  The Buckskin fire surged from about 100 to 1,200 acres from Thursday to Saturday. Crews credit a recent offshore flow of cooler marine air and higher humidity levels for the slowdown. Even so, the surrounding terrain is still bone dry, and the pace could pick back up if steady winds hit the area. Officials said they hope to quench the fire before other blazes pop up across the region. "Firefighting resources will become difficult to obtain as the fire season moves forward," said a release from Incident Management Team No. 3. "As a result, the risk of not aggressively suppressing the Buckskin fire at this point in the fire season is considered too great a threat to the communities surrounding the fire." If the weather allows, retardant drops from air tankers will be executed today, which will pre-treat containment lines for planned burnout operations Thursday, fire officials said. The attack force is utilizing rappellers, helitack crews and water drops on spot fires within the fire boundary.  On Wednesday, 536 personnel were assigned to the fire, including 12 hand crews, seven dozers, five engines, 13 water tenders and 10 helicopters.  A closure around the fire area remains in effect for safety reasons. The fire is bounded by the California-Oregon border on the south, by Chrome Creek and the Smith River to the west , by the Chetco River headwaters and the area around Broken Cot Creek to the Josephine Creek headwaters on the north , and by forestlands along U.S. Forest Service Road 4402 to the east .  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 Jun. 17, 2015 at 10:21 AM » 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... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site 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. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501