ASHLAND, Ore. – Firefighters are taking advantage of favorable conditions to make progress on the Hendrix Fire 9 miles southwest of Ashland. The Oregon Department of Forestry is in Unified Command with the U.S. Forest Service on the fire. The 1,060-acre fire is burning in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and on about 180 acres of private land protected by ODF. The fire was started by lightning that passed through southern Oregon on July 15. It is currently 20 percent contained. Some 520 personnel are engaged on the fire.On Sunday, helicopters
were hampered by poor visibility over the fire’s helibase. One of the Type 2 helicopters was loaned
to the Prospect Fire and was unable to return after its duties due to
challenging smoke conditions at the Prospect Fire’s helibase. Sharing resources continues to be a powerful tool
among all of the fire teams operating in southern Oregon and beyond.
Helicopters will continue to support firefighters on the ground, including
dropping water and conducting reconnaissance flights as needed and conditions
allow.
favorable, crews may continue small strategic firing operations on the
southwest portion of the fire. They will work to tie the main fire perimeter along the ridges down to hand lines
and dozer lines in more accessible terrain to help secure the area.
Firefighters continue
going direct, creating fireline along the fire’s perimeter on the east side of
the fire. On the north and northeast portions of the fire, firefighters are mopping up and extinguishing or
removing burning material near firelines to help secure the area. Good containment has been achieved on the northwest side of the fire.
- 22 fire engines
- 10 water tenders
- 5 assigned dozers and additional dozers on loan from cooperators
- 2 masticators for chipping brush
- 3 skidgens
- 5 helicopters
- 4 Hot Shot crews
- 13 hand crews
Drivers near the
intersection of Upper Applegate and Little Applegate should watch for
firefighters and fire vehicles in the area as the fire team sets up a vehicle wash
station there to help prevent weeds caught underneath brush trucks and other
apparatus from being carried from area to area. Efforts like this help prevent
the spread of invasive weeds like the yellow star thistle.
The forecast for
southern Oregon for the foreseeable future is continued hot temperatures and drying fuels. The temperatures at higher
elevations and peaks near the fire also continue to rise with an expected 90
degrees at 4,500 feet elevation by Wednesday. There is a chance of thunderstorms early this week. Fire crews will remain vigilant and are prepared to attack any
new fire starts if they occur.
Firefighters are
aggressively suppressing the fire where they can do so safely and effectively to protect and minimize
fire effects to residential structures, private
property, industrial timber lands, and natural and cultural resources. Public
and firefighter safety is the number one priority.
The lightning-caused Watershed Fire (9 acres), Bull Gap Fire (3.5 acres), and 288 Fire (a tenth of an acre) remain in
patrol status.
Evacuations and closures
Level 2 and Level 3
evacuations remain in place for residents near Hells Peak, southeast of Ruch. Details are available at http://jacksoncountyor.org/sheriff/. More info about evacuation levels and preparedness can be
found at http://www.rvem.org. Video from last night’s Hendrix Community Meeting at the Ruch Branch Library is available online at https://tinyurl.com/yczf47z9 . Additional community meetings will be held periodically.
The Rogue River-Siskiyou
National Forest Hendrix Fire Area Closure for the southern portion of the
Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District remains in effect. Detailed info and a
map of the area closure are available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/rogue-siskiyou. The closure has been revised to show Forest Road 20 as
being OPEN from the Upper Applegate Road to Jackson Gap. Forest Road 20 is
closed from Jackson Gap East to Ashland Watershed including access to
Dutchman Lookout.
The Pacific Crest Trail
is closed from where it meets National Forest Road No.40S01
(Observation Gap) to the Grouse Gap Shelter. Re-route information is available at https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/closures/oregon/hendrix-fire-southern-oregon/.
including information about where the nearest clear air is located are
available at https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks.
High smoke levels can have hazardous
impact on health. People
with respiratory or heart disease, children, and the elderly should stay inside
and contact their healthcare providers if they become ill. Visit http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/
for more information.
Maps of the Hendrix Fire can be found at https://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/information/fire_info.aspx