CANYONVILLE, Ore. – Tuesday’s light precipitation and cooler temperatures helped calm the Skyline Ridge Complex. The finer fuels that usually ignite easily were too wet to burn. Some of the moisture was able to reach pockets of heat, cooling them. Sometimes this created smoke or steam, helping firefighters find the hot spots.
While the flammability of smaller fuels changes quickly with any rain or increase in humidity, larger fuels need much more moisture to make them harder to burn. Much of the what’s burning on these fires is large rotting logs lying on the ground. These will continue to take a lot of work to cool, including cutting open burning sections, scraping away layers of coals, and mixing coals with water and dirt to extinguish them.
Taking advantage of the natural moisture and the cooler temperatures, firefighters are making good progress on mopping up hot areas on the fires. On the Poole Creek Fire, firefighters cooled the outer edges of most of the fire, including areas burned-out last Friday night and Saturday morning. In many areas they extinguished most of the heat within 150 feet of the control lines. Containment on the Complex has increased to 81%. Today’s assignment is to continue this aggressive mop-up.
The winds continue to be a threat to the firefighters. Gusty winds are toppling both dead trees known as “snags” and green trees damaged by the fire. One area on the north end of Poole Creek Fire has a large number of unstable trees, making it too hazardous for firefighters during windy periods.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has reduced the evacuation area and level for Upper Cow Creek Road. To get the most up to date information visit https://www.dcso.com/evacuations. The Level 1 (Be Ready) evacuation order remains in place on Moore Ranch Rd. and Ferguson Lane.
Skyline Ridge Phone: 971-432-6250
Skyline Ridge Email: skylineridgecomplex.information@gmail.com
Skyline Ridge Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skylineridgecomplex
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7762/
Douglas County Evacuation Information: www.dcso.com/evacuations
| Estimated Size: 5,760 acres | |
| Containment: | 81% |
| Start Date/Time: | 8/1/2021, 5 p.m. |
| Anticipated Containment Date: | 8/30/2021 |
| Location: | Five miles SE of Canyonville, Ore. |
| Cause: | Lightning/under investigation |
| Assigned Resources: | |
| Personnel | 902 |
| Hand Crews | 28 |
| Engines | 34 |
| Dozers | 7 |
| Water Tenders | 20 |
| Other Heavy Equipment | 5 |
| Assigned Aircraft | 10 |
| Injuries: | 3 |
| Structures Threatened: | 100 |
| Structures Damaged: | 0 |
| Structures Destroyed: | 0 |
| Evacuations: | Level 1 Evacuations are in place through Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. |