Umpqua, OR – Overnight, crews made good progress building hand and dozer line on the Tyee Mountain, Hardscrabble, and Big Tom Fires. Strategic backfiring helped reinforce these lines and create additional safety zones for firefighters. Lines held successfully on the Yellow Point and Blue Hole
Fires. On the Cougar Creek Fire, crews established a handline and hose lay from Hubbard Creek up to the bluffs.
Efforts were aided by slightly cooler temperatures and higher relative humidities. With steep terrain, rolling material and falling snags continue to be a challenge and caused slopovers of fire across lines on the Hardscrabble and Cougar Creek Fires.
More firefighters and equipment are arriving today from around the nation, including hotshot crews and heavy equipment. A total of seven Oregon State Fire Marshal taskforces continue to engage in structure protection. Day shift operations will continue to build on last night’s progress. This will include dozer line on Big Tom, Hardscrabble, and Cougar Creek. This will allow further strategic backfiring over the next few operational periods. Twelve helicopters are in use and will be dropping water on the fires when smoke conditions permit.
Weather is expected to be in the mid 70s today with areas of smoke. Where smoke is present, it will help moderate fire behavior. Winds will be 2 to 5 miles per hour from the NW. Relative humidities recovered well overnight but fuels still will burn actively during the day, especially where the
smoke lifts.
All evacuation notices issued by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office remain unchanged. The Red Cross shelter for evacuees at the Oakland Elementary School will be relocating today and the new location will be posted to the Tyee Ridge Complex and Douglas County Sheriff Facebook pages as soon as it is available. To shelter livestock, contact Douglas County Fairgrounds at 541-957-7010. Companion pets can be sheltered at Saving Grace Pet Adoption Center in Roseburg. To view the current evacuation information map, go to www.dcso.com/evacuations.
Community Meeting Scheduled: The Tyee Ridge Complex management teams will be holding a community meeting tonight, Monday, Aug. 28, 2023 at 7 pm.
Location: Roseburg Country Club, 5051 Garden Valley Road, Roseburg; and streamed on Facebook Live and YouTube.