Air quality degrades as area firefighting continues

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2018-07-19

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Much of Jackson and Josephine counties have seen poor air quality due to the presence of wildfire smoke. On Thursday morning, Medford and Shady Cove's air quality had dipped into the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" category, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Air Quality Index. Ashland, Applegate and Grants Pass air quality stations listed the three communities as having "moderate" air quality. Cave Junction remained in the "good" category. The readings are measured by the presence of PM 2.5, microscopic pollutant particles smaller than a human hair's diameter that can cause serious health problems. The air-smothering haze is coming from, well, pretty much everywhere. The 500-acre South Umpqua Complex, located on the Tiller Ranger District in Douglas County, Jackson County's Wagner Complex and Hendrix fire, and Josephine County's Garner Complex are all contributing. Also, two more fires have been reported in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in western Josephine County. "We're getting a bunch (of smoke) from all directions," National Weather Service meteorologist Sven Nelaimischkies said. "The only direction that smoke isn't coming from is the east." Lighter northwest winds are expected this weekend until about Sunday, Nelaimischkies added, when a weaker eastern flow is expected. That shift won't be enough to drive the smoke out of the area. The two fires in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness are the 586-acre Klondike fire and the 113-acre Granite fire, according to a news release. The fires were burning in the wilderness about 12 miles west of Selma, near the area where the 2017 Chetco Bar fire originated. Smokejumpers were pulled out of the fire areas because of the dangerous conditions and fire commanders were planning to use retardant drops on the fires. The Kalmiopsis fires grew Tuesday night when strong east winds caused the fire to breach containment lines. An incident command post has been set up at Lake Selmac near Selma. Nearby, crews are also battling the 767-acre Natchez fire, located about 15 miles southwest of Cave Junction. The fire is straddling the Oregon-California border. A power line that runs from Cave Junction to Happy Camp, Calif., is threatened, but not impacted. Area health and fire agencies, including Jackson County Health & Human Services and the Ashland Forest Resiliency Stewardship Project, have released tips for dealing with the smoke in English and Spanish. Key tips to deal with the smoke include drinking plenty of water, wearing a certified mask to limit particle exposure, and limiting contact outdoors. Fire updates Fire crews continue to combat numerous area blazes. As of Thursday morning, the Hendrix fire, burning near Hells Peak southeast of Ruch, has grown to 717 acres in size and is considered 5 percent contained. Most of the recent growth was to the southeast, due to numerous spot fires. Crews are focused on that southeast portion, with plans to hit it "as hard as we can" with water drops from helicopters and hot shot crews, according to fire public information officer Julie Knobel. "That's where we're finding the best success — do bucket drops and then send in hand crews to strengthen the lines," Knobel said. Initial attempts at airplane-delivered retardant drops fizzled last week, as the dense forest canopy prevented much of the retardant from reaching the ground. Evacuation notices due to the fire are still in effect. Properties at 16001 Wagner Creek Road and the Wrangle Campground at 23000 Little Applegate Road are under a Level 3 "go" evacuation alert, according to the Sheriff's Office. Thirty-one addresses in the Dog Fork Community from Little Applegate Road to west of Yale Creek Road are under a Level 2 "be set" evacuation alert. Those addresses are from 3975 to 4075 Dog Fork Road and from 3812 to 6969 Yale Creek Road, the Sheriff's Office said. Two more properties, 3434 McDonald Creek Road and 16099 Wagner Creek Road are also under Level 2 "be set" evacuation notices. Those properties are along Wagner Creek road south of Wagner Gap to U.S. Forest Service Road 20, the Sheriff's Office said. Crews are also making a plan for suppression of two new fires in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness: the 586-acre Klondike Fire and the 113-acre Granite Fire, according to a news release. The Wagner Complex, which comprises all current fires burning within Jackson County on Oregon Department of Forestry-protected lands, was most recently listed at 250 acres and 30 percent containment, though a new update is expected later today. Josephine County's Garner Complex is listed at 1,130 acres and is 8 percent contained. Addresses on Pleasant Creek Road between 5047 and 7948 are under a level 2 "get set" advisory because of that complex. Seven individual addresses in the 6500 and 6600 blocks of that road received Level 3 notices in person Wednesday due to their proximity to the fire, the sheriff's department said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized the use of federal funds to help with the costs of fighting the Garner complex, according to a release. Gov. Kate Brown has declared a fire emergency because of the amount of wildland blazes statewide. On Thursday, Oregon Parks & Recreation banned campfires and open flames in all state parks because of the declaration. It includes wood, charcoal and other flame sources that cannot be turned off with a valve, according to a news release. Liquid fuel stoves or other cooking devices that can be turned off with a valve are still permitted, but cannot be left unattended, the release said. That ban is expected to last at least a week. On Friday, the fire danger will rise to "extreme" on lands protected by ODF. This means the use of power saws, cutting, grinding and welding metal, the mowing of dry or dead grass or the operation of any other spark-emitting internal combustion engine is prohibited. Debris and barrel burning are prohibited. Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in vehicles on improved roads, in boats on the water, and at designated locations. Reach web editor Ryan Pfeil at [email protected] or at 541-776-4468. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil .