CANYONVILLE, Ore.— Firefighters on the Poole Creek Fire plan to continue firing operations tonight as they push to corral the fire. Last night’s firing operations started down the lines constructed along the ridges south of the South Umpqua River. Today, firefighters were able to hold these lines and started mopping up the edges of the newly burned areas.
Tonight, as conditions allow, firing operations are expected to resume down the slopes toward the South Umpqua River. Ignitions will progress down the northeast line first, to prevent the western side from “smoking out” the eastern side. After the burn out has moved down the northeastern line, firing will start on the western flank of the fire.
Firefighters will also ignite fuels toward the center of the unburned area on Poole Creek Fire. Developing heat in the interior of the burn area will help draw air inward, making the fire less likely to push outward, past the control lines. This is similar to a fire in a fireplace drawing air into the fire, sending smoke up the chimney instead of into a room. The combination of firing down the ridges and using natural fire and some ignitions in the interior is anticipated to safely bring the fire down the slope, closer to where the lines connect just south of Ferguson Lane.
On the eastern edge of Poole Creek Fire near Stouts Creek, firefighters burned several pockets of unburned fuels today. This makes this section of the fire less likely to flare up and cross the lines. Firefighters also made good progress on mopping up hot areas near Stouts Creek.
Fire personnel continue to patrol the other fires in the Skyline Ridge Complex. On most fires, very little heat is being found near the control lines.
Structural firefighters with the Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal remain ready to protect structures near the northern control line for the Poole Creek Fire.
A community meeting will be held jointly with PNW Team 8 from the Devil’s Knob Complex at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 14. The meeting will be outdoors at the Tiller Fire Station with social distancing protocols in place.
Phone (7 a.m.—9 p.m.): 971-432-6250
Email: skylineridgecomplex.information@gmail.com
Incident Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/skylineridgecomplex
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7762/
Douglas County Evacuation Information: www.dcso.com/evacuations