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Triple digits forecast for smoke-smothered region The 117,669-acre Chetco Bar fire burning toward Brookings in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness is responsible for much of the smoke blanketing the Rogue Valley, fire officials say. [InciWeb photo} Monday Aug 28, 2017 at 12:42 PM Aug 28, 2017 at 12:42 PM Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune @RyanPfeil High temperatures close to or above 100 degrees are in the forecast for southwest Oregon into Labor Day weekend. The National Weather Service today issued a heat advisory through 11 p.m. Tuesday because of the forecast, which comes in spite of the curtain of smoke that can act as a shield from the warmth. “The combination of heat and smoke is a problem for the people outside, especially the people who have to work outside, and for sensitive groups," said meteorologist Connie Clarstrom. "It can really trigger health problems much quicker than if you had only smoke or only heat." Children and the elderly are especially at risk during such a one-two punch, as they are more susceptible to the effects of both heat-related illnesses and diminished air quality, said Dr. Jim Shames, Jackson County Health & Human Services medical director. "The problem is that for certain individuals, both of those conditions compromise," Shames said. "If you combine them together, and in a fairly short period of time, they could have their health impacted." Healthy individuals aren't necessarily spared either if they push themselves too hard or too long in the smoky, roasting air, he added. Temperatures between the mid- and low-90s are forecast across Jackson County through Thursday, with nighttime lows as high as 70 degrees. Triple digits are expected through Labor Day weekend, weather officials said. That's in tandem with air quality that hasn't been at "good" levels since Aug. 13, according to data from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's Air Quality Index. Today, all but one of the eight air quality stations that monitor fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke spread across Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Douglas counties registered "unhealthy" air quality. Fires The smoke continues to drift in from multiple fire complexes spread across several counties around the region, including the Miller Complex, Chetco Bar fire, High Cascades Complex and multiple fires burning across western Siskiyou County. The Miller Complex, made up of 25 lightning-sparked fires in the Applegate Valley, was listed today as 9,628 acres in size. Fire officials previously had sized the fire at more than 14,000 acres, but reduced their estimate due to a computing error. While all 25 fires continue to be monitored, only six of the fires are growing: Creedence fire, Bigelow fire, Burnt Peak fire, Seattle fire, Abney fire and Cook fire. A Level 1 — "get ready" — evacuation advisory was issued along parts of Upper Applegate Road, including Palmer Creek Road at Upper Applegate Road to the split of U.S. Forest Service roads 1090 and 1095; west of Upper Applegate Lake and east of the Applegate River from Palmer Creek Road to Jackson Campground; Boulder City at 11425 Upper Applegate Road, Carberry Creek Road at Applegate Road to Steamboat Ranch, and the Joe Bar area. An estimated 550 personnel are assigned to the complex. The Chetco Bar fire, a lightning-sparked blaze burning in the Kalmiopsis wilderness, had grown to 117,669 acres today. Numerous homes nearby have received Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuation notices, with officials continuing to update an interactive map on which areas are under the specific advisories. That map is available to view online at https://goo.gl/keU1PZ. On Sunday, the flames continued to push in multiple directions, including northwest toward Hog Mountain, north toward the Snow Camp trailhead and south to above Emily Creek. More than 1,500 personnel are working on the fire, which has no containment. Recent movement on the Blanket Creek fire, one of three large fires burning in the High Cascades Complex near Crater Lake, prompted a Level 1 evacuation advisory for Mazama Village. That complex, made up of the 9,299-acre Blanket Creek, 5,625-acre Spruce Lake, and 3,314-acre Broken Lookout fires, is 44 percent contained, a downgrade from recent 60 percent containment estimates.  — Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil.