Mail Tribune News - Air crews fight fire near Kalmiopsis Wilderness

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Air crews fight fire near Kalmiopsis Wilderness CAVE JUNCTION -- U.S. Forest Service air crews were battling a 100-acre fire Monday in rugged country near the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area just north of the California line. The fire, reported by a miner, was located near Sebastopol Creek in the Canyon Creek Watershed, an area that is nearly inaccessible to ground crews. Three air tankers were dumping retardant on the blaze. The steep and rocky terrain is scattered with pine and low brush. The fire also was threatening a large stand of old-growth Douglas fir near Hansen Gulch that contains a spotted owl nesting site, said Rochelle Desser, spokeswoman for the Illinois Valley Ranger District. Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA