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FIRE Fire east of Canyonville grows to 6,000 acres Stouts fire forces evacuations, likely to send smoke into Rogue Valley Comment By Local and wire reports MailTribune.com By Local and wire reports Posted Jul. 30, 2015 at 5:20 PM Updated Jul 31, 2015 at 11:33 AM By Local and wire reports Posted Jul. 30, 2015 at 5:20 PM Updated Jul 31, 2015 at 11:33 AM » RELATED CONTENT • Stouts fire sends smoke into Rogue Valley, still threatens Douglas County homes... • Air quality suffers as smoke floods Rogue Valley; evacuations ordered in Azalea... » Social News A fast-growing wildfire in Douglas County is pushing up a massive column of smoke and hot air, creating a pillar cloud that can be seen from Medford, fire officials said. According to a news release from the Douglas Forest Protective Association, the Stouts fire was spotted around 2 p.m. and was estimated at 2 acres. Within the hour, the smoke plume was clearly visible to forestry officials on one of the agency's fire watch cameras. It quickly surged to 20 acres, and by 4 p.m. had grown to more than 200 acres. By 4:45 p.m. it was estimated at 600 acres, and by 8 p.m. had surged to more than 6,000 acres, officials said. The fire's rapid growth generated considerable conversation on social media. "I wonder if (6,000) is a typo or if Douglas County is going up in smoke," mused one commenter on the Oregon Department of Forestry's Facebook page. "6,000 is not a typo," an ODF official replied. Officials said the fire, burning about 11 miles east of Canyonville near the community of Milo, was exhibiting "extreme behavior" and continuing to grow rapidly. By 8:30 p.m., social media users as far north as Eugene were reporting the pyrocumulus cloud was visible in the Willamette Valley. The Roseburg News-Review reported that several helicopters were pulled away from the 600-acre Cable Crossing fire near Glide to fight the new fire. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Department issued an evacuation order telling people in homes on Ferguson Lane, Stouts Creek and Conley Lane to leave immediately. The Sheriff's Office reported that the American Red Cross has set up a shelter for evacuees at Canyonville Elementary School. “This can be pretty scary and disorienting to have to leave your home on a moments notice,” Red Cross spokeswoman Paula Fasano Negele told the News-Review. “Tonight, it’s just a matter of getting people in a safe, comfortable place to stay.” Charles Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Medford, said it's likely the Rogue Valley will be hit with some of that smoke in coming days. "Right now, what we have are pretty good southwest winds — if you look at the satellite (images) or go outside, you'll see it heading that way," he said. "However, some of our lower level winds are expected to change to northerly, 10 to 15 knots, going into Saturday." Smith said there's also the possibility of smoke being driven north from fires burning in Northern California. "There's definitely going to be smoke in the valley (regardless)," he said. Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 1 was dispatched from Eugene and was slated to assume command of the Stouts fire Friday, DFPA reported, making it the second fire in Southern Oregon this week whose growth required the deployment of a management team. By Local and wire reports MailTribune.com By Local and wire reports Posted Jul. 30, 2015 at 5:20 PM Updated Jul 31, 2015 at 11:33 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... 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