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Firefighters battle blaze near Applegate Lake Thursday Jun 22, 2017 at 12:44 PM Jun 22, 2017 at 5:36 PM Local report APPLEGATE — Firefighters are attacking a now nearly 10-acre wildfire that broke out late Wednesday in the Seattle Bar area along Applegate Lake, triggering the closure of a forest road and convincing some campers to flee the area. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is taking on the Bar Fire with two 20-person hand crews, two engines and a helicopter dipping water out of Applegate Lake, Forest Service spokeswoman Chamise Kramer said today. The fire was listed at about 8 to 10 acres and crews expect to have the fire lined by 8 p.m. this evening, at which time the helicopter will be released and mop-up activities will continue, Kramer said. The fire is considered human-caused and is southwest of Seattle Bar, a popular day-use and off-site camping area at the reservoir's south end near the Oregon-California border. The National Weather Service reports no lightning strikes in the area over the past week. The fire was discovered by someone recreating in the area and reported to the concessionaire at Hart-Tish Park along Upper Applegate Road at the reservoir's northwest edge, Kramer said. It was relayed to forest officials at about 10:16 p.m. Wednesday, she said. Forest Service Road 1040 remained under a temporary closure Thursday afternoon to public use, both as a safety precaution and to create space for firefighters and equipment to gain access to the flames, Kramer said. While campers voluntarily left the area, there was no actual evacuation ordered by the Forest Service, Kramer said. — Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman.