Document text
1 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 Our View: Cheers and Jeers ... Stouts fire still growing, but in a good way ... Man suspected of sexually abusing child ... Our View: Cheers and Jeers ... Stouts fire still growing, but in a good way ... Man suspected of sexually abusing child ... WILDFIRE Stouts fire sends smoke into Rogue Valley, still threatens Douglas County homes Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 31, 2015 at 9:19 AM Updated Jul 31, 2015 at 9:11 PM Douglas Forest Protective Association shared this video, taken from the Milo Fire Department on the afternoon of July 30. By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 31, 2015 at 9:19 AM Updated Jul 31, 2015 at 9:11 PM » RELATED CONTENT • SOCIAL MEDIA: Stouts fire photos, videos • Fire east of Canyonville grows to 6,000 acres • Stouts fire: Contributed photos » Social News Gov. Kate Brown has invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act, mobilizing resources from around the state to combat the Stouts fire in southern Douglas County. The fire, reported at 1 p.m. Thursday near Milo, has swept through 6,000 acres, or roughly 10 square miles, and blanketed the Rogue Valley in smoke as it moves southeast near Upper Cow Creek. Firefighting agencies estimated the fire's size at 6,000 acres Thursday evening, but determined it grew to that size overnight, a spokesman for the Douglas Forest Protective Association said. "The size was overestimated a little yesterday, because of the extreme activity there was a lot of spotting ahead of the fire," said DFPA spokesman Kyle Reed. At the time of Brown's declaration late Thursday, the fire threatened about 50 homes and another 300 were at risk. "The Stouts fire has grown very quickly since beginning early Thursday and is already putting homes at risk," Brown said. "As temperatures rise across Oregon this week, the Stouts fire has explosively grown amid record-setting fuel conditions and extreme drought." The fire is centered about 35 miles west of Crater Lake National Park and directly south of the pesky Cable Crossing fire near Glide. Directly in the fire's path is Devil’s Flat Campground, 10 miles upstream from Galesville Reservoir off Douglas County Road 36. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office issued a Level 3 evacuation notice late Thursday for homes on Stouts Creek Road, Ferguson Lane and Conley Lane. The evacuation notice was later reduced to a Level 2 advisory, allowing residents to return to their homes but asking them to be ready to evacuate again. Another Level 3 evacuation notice was issued around 2 p.m. Friday for Azalea-area residents from Upper Cow Creek to Snow Creek East, while residents near the Galesville Dam up to Snow Creek are under a Level 2 advisory. Reed said the primary concern going into Day 2 Friday was the extreme heat associated with a Red Flag warning for the Umpqua Basin. "The heat, wind and low humidity will all be factors," he said. Firefighters focused their initial efforts on opening access roads to the fire and anchoring into the heel of the blaze to begin constructing containment lines. About 450 firefighters are on scene, with Oregon Forestry Department's Incident Management Team arriving Friday morning and operating out of a command post at Days Creek Charter School. Reed said the transition in incident management generally takes time. "There are always some hiccups that first day as people filling in are shadowing the resources that were on the scene first yesterday and learning the lay of the land." The steep, rugged terrain contains a mixture of old-growth stands and second-growth timber, primarily Douglas fir, with other conifers dotting the landscape. "There is a lot of heavy brush, too, with blackberries and poison oak," Reed said. The Upper Cow Creek area is about 10 miles upstream from Galesville Reservoir. "It's a fairly heavily recreated area," Reed said. "But for now, the primary impact is a lot of smoke." The fire's footprint is oval, moving away from Milo, a small community east of Canyonville, ODF spokesman Brian Ballou said. "We expect the fire to pick up again during mid-afternoon and into the early evening hours, similar to what happened Thursday," Ballou said. In 1987, the Bland Mountain fire blackened 10,000 acres, and in 2004 Bland Mountain 2 swept through 4,500 acres. The area around Stouts Creek has an extensive wildfire history, Reed said. "It started in a similar location," Reed said. "But it's now outside of those scars." Milo-area resident Sean Negherbon has lived through the previous fires. "I think we all kind of know it's going to happen," Negherbon said. "When it's 108 degrees and the wind is blowing like it was, you just cross your fingers. The '87 fire was on the other side of the (Umpqua) river and burned through us." He said a quick response from volunteer firefighters from Douglas Forest Protective Association prevented homes from burning before the prevailing winds carried flames away. "It put up a pretty impressive column," said Negherbon, whose place is eight miles down the road from the fire camp in Days Creek. "If you don't take things like this seriously, you're a little crazy. Here, the wind blows west to east, the only time you have to worry is when an ember blows back into the field." The National Weather Service in Medford said the layer of smoke hanging over the Rogue Valley will likely reduce the predicted high temperature of 109 degrees by two or three degrees. NWS reported five lightning strikes emitted from a pyrocumulonimbus cloud formed by the fire. "The downdraft and out-flowing winds can be pretty strong, depending on the conditions in the atmosphere," said Michelle Cohen, a NWS meteorologist in Medford. "We'll see how the fire develops throughout the day, but the thunder and lightning there triggered something similar (Thursday)." On the ground, Reed said, it's hard to distinguish whether new flames on the leading edge are caused by downstrikes or embers. Light winds of 7-8 mph, with gusts of 12 mph, are anticipated today in the Rogue Valley, Cohen said. But in Douglas County gusts of up to 16 mph are expected as winds from the northwest push the fire southeast. As of 6 p.m. Friday, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality air monitors rated air quality in Shady Cove as hazardous within the past hour and over the past 24 hours. In Medford, the air quality was listed as unhealthy for sensitive groups in the past hour and unhealthy over the past 24 hours. An air monitor in Grants Pass showed the air quality was moderate in the past hour, but unhealthy over the past 24 hours. Jackson County Public Health officials are advising residents to be aware of and avoid areas with high smoke concentrations, avoid strenuous outdoor activities and stay indoors if possible.   Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31, and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/EconomicEdge By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 31, 2015 at 9:19 AM Updated Jul 31, 2015 at 9:11 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... 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