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0 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 Rogue Valley gubernatorial candidate blasts Gov. Brown on climate change ... Historical Society executive director stepping down ... Police say Grants Pass man admits to 50 vehicle thefts in Rogue Valley ... Rogue Valley gubernatorial candidate blasts Gov. Brown on climate change ... Historical Society executive director stepping down ... Police say Grants Pass man admits to 50 vehicle thefts in Rogue Valley ... WILDFIRE Stouts fire continued to grow overnight Blaze near 20k acres, is 20 percent contained Comment By Local reports MailTribune.com By Local reports Posted Aug. 6, 2015 at 10:36 AM Updated Aug 6, 2015 at 9:22 PM Crews monitor the progression of the Stouts fire along the 3230 Road south of Tiller late Wednesday, Aug. 5. Video provided by Oregon Department of Forestry. By Local reports Posted Aug. 6, 2015 at 10:36 AM Updated Aug 6, 2015 at 9:22 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Stouts fire: Contributed photos • Reader photos: Smoky skies » Social News Crews worked through the night Wednesday to contain the Stouts fire and plan to continue carving out fire lines and burning brush that remains inside those lines. About 1,485 people are working around the clock to rein in the fire, which started the afternoon of July 30. Officials reported that the fire has burned about 19,971 acres and is 20 percent contained. Despite cooler temperatures and increased humidity, the fire continued to burn actively overnight, officials said. Moderate fire growth is expected in unburned areas within the fire's perimeter and along areas where fire lines haven't been built yet. The fire is burning through timber and logged areas on private and federal land east of Canyonville. Air quality in Medford at 9 p.m. Thursday was listed as unhealthy over the past 24 hours, although it had improved to good within the past hour. Shady Cove was listed as very unhealthy over the past 24 hours, but the amount of very small particles in the air had dropped to moderate. Crews set small fires Thursday to consume fuel on the east and south flanks of the blaze. Crews on the fire's west and north flanks ran hoses around the perimeter and were doing mop-up along the fire's edge, officials reported in a morning update. While crews dig lines, eight helicopters are dropping thousands of gallons of water to calm fires threatening existing lines and spot fires. Another helicopter is on standby to respond to medical emergencies. Air tankers are available on an as-needed basis. On Wednesday, AT&T sent a mobile cellular tower called a "COW" or "cell on wheels" to a site east of Canyonville to help improve communications between the fire command center and firefighters on the front lines. Everyone living near the fire has been allowed to return home, although some residents have been advised to remain ready to evacuate if conditions change. A structural protection task force continues monitoring the Drew area. Crews removed shrubs, brush and other vegetation to make homes more defensible against fire, and strategically placed portable water ponds, pumps, hoses and sprinklers among the homes as a contingency measure. Elsewhere around the region, crews are fighting several small fires near popular recreation areas in the Rogue River-Siskiyou Forest. The National Creek Complex, which includes the Crescent fire and National fire, has burned about 75 acres in the vicinity of National Creek Falls just south of the Douglas/Jackson County line, and north of Union Creek Campground on Highway 62. The two fires straddle the boundary of Crater Lake National Park and the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. According to fire officials, the fires are expected to burn together due to limited containment, steep terrain and continuous fuels. On Thursday, 129 personnel were assigned to the complex. The Rustler Complex, which includes the Brown Mountain fire and miscellaneous smaller fires, has burned about 45 acres. Fire officials found two more fires in the area Wednesday, bringing the total to 17 small fires in the complex. Those fires are burning about 15 miles northeast of Butte Falls in the Sky Lakes Wilderness, west of the Pacific Crest Trail. The Collier fire, which was up to about 130 acres Thursday, is burning in the Gold Beach Ranger District in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area. The eight-acre Stein Butte fire, located in the Siskiyou Mountain Ranger District southeast of Applegate Lake, is in the mop-up phase, as is the Lake Creek fire, a 13-acre blaze on the Powers Ranger District. By Local reports MailTribune.com By Local reports Posted Aug. 6, 2015 at 10:36 AM Updated Aug 6, 2015 at 9:22 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... 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