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Fire crews brace for strong winds By PAUL FATTIG LITTLE APPLEGATE - Firefighters are scrambling to choke off the Quartz Fire burning in the Rogue River National Forest before expected higher winds blow in this weekend. With more than 40 percent of the 5,600-acre fire contained by a fire line late Friday, crews from throughout the nation were being deployed to stop the blaze's southern advance. While air tankers drop retardant ahead of the flames, firefighters are busy cutting trees and brush to starve the fire, said Tom Van Dyke, a spokesman for the fire command. "The goal is to make it wide enough so that when the fire gets to the fire break, it won't be able to jump it," Van Dyke explained. "But they are predicting gusty winds through the weekend." Winds are expected to gust up to 25 mph, increasing the potential for fire activity, he said. Firefighters began mopping up the north flank of the fire Friday night, he said. The eastward advance of the fire has been halted, he added. More than 2,400 firefighters and support staff are now assigned to the blaze with the arrival of nearly 300 Oregon National Guard troops and 160 firefighters from New England on Friday. Thus far, $4.5 million has been spent on fighting the fire, Van Dyke said. If everything goes as planned, the fire likely will be completely contained by a fire line by Aug. 24, he said. Local residents have stepped forward to help those who lost their homes or were evacuated by the fire sparked by a lightning storm on Aug. 9. Two homes were lost in the Dog Fork area of Yale Creek on Aug. 12. Rivernet, an interfaith disaster relief group comprising 12 churches in the Rogue Valley, is delivering food and other supplies to families as well as volunteers in the Dog Fork area today. They also raised funds to pay for gas for volunteer fire patrol vehicles and chainsaws, said organizer Paul Robinson, pastor at the Medford Congregational United Church of Christ. Local businesses contributed to the effort, he said. "We've got enough for 30 people for a week," he said. "That includes eggs, coffee, batteries - everything they'll need." Other items needed include bales of grass hay for horses, kitchen utensils, cat food, flannel shirts (size large), a mile of one-inch plastic pipe to connect to a water source and a small bed with sheets, pillow and blankets. Anyone wanting to help can contact the church at 772-8860. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.