Firefighters deal with wind, smoke, rugged terrain

Sep. 3—The Rum Creek Fire northwest of Grants Pass has spread from 16,940 acres reported Friday morning to 18,053 acres reported at about 8:30 p.m. Friday— a gain of 1,113 acres.

Firefighters remain on high alert after a forecast called for strong, gusty winds from an incoming dry cold front, which fire officials said would test fire lines until about midnight Friday. Firefighting crews staff the fire day and night.

The 8:30 p.m. Friday update from fire managers contained no reports of new homes or other buildings lost. Evacuation zones remained unchanged as of that time.

Structural fire departments have converged from across Oregon to help wildland firefighters on the fire, the state's top priority.

By Friday night, fire managers said structural firefighters had assessed 500 homes and taken steps to protect them, including wrapping some with fire resistant material, setting up sprinklers and removing flammable vegetation. They're also cutting hazardous trees and patrolling around homes to watch for spot fires.

In Galice, firefighters remain on patrol, extinguishing any hot spots and protecting homes and buildings. The riverside community popular with rafters is partially surrounded by the fire and has been under an evacuation order for more than a week.

The fire's eastern edge was about six miles from Merlin Friday evening. In between the fire and the town, firefighters have built a network of primary and contingency fire lines and reduced fuels. They've scouted the area in case the fire breaks through lines and makes a run, fire managers said in a Friday evening briefing.

On multiple flanks of the fire, firefighters have been conducting burns to deprive the blaze of fuel and built primary lines backed by contingency lines.

Even without extra wind gusts from the cold front, the steep, rugged terrain of the Wild and Scenic section of the lower Rogue River canyon means winds can shift in all directions, keeping firefighters constantly on guard against flames, embers and sparks.

"With the winds from the Wild Rogue, it's very unexpected because one second it's blowing this way, the next it's blowing the other," said Micah Kimzey, a Grants Pass firefighter with his family's Prometheus Reforestation Support business. "So one minute you're watching fire rip, the next minute you're watching it back down, and we're able to get in there and get at it. It's kind of a game of bouncing back and forth, knowing when it's safe and not safe."

Kimzey spent the day Friday with his crew laying hoses and continuing mop-up operations on the fire line.

"Things change every hour, every minute. Everybody's just doing their best out here to figure out the safest way to battle this thing," he said.

Supplied with water and Powerade to fight dehydration in the dry, hot weather, Kimsey said he and his crew aim to keep a steady momentum on their physical efforts.

By Friday, firefighter Zackary Allen had been out working on the fire for six days with a crew from Central Point. He spent the Friday using a fire engine and pumping water to fire lines, plus patrolling the area and tackling hot spots before they can flare and jump lines.

Allen said shifting winds mean the fire can sometimes sweep back over lines they build and hose they lay out to provide water.

"The first three days were rough. You'd put in a line. It would blow over it. We lost probably 800 feet of hose altogether," Allen said.

He said winds can create a swirl of fire.

"For instance, if you're working in an uphill direction, it would change and come downhill to you instead of going uphill. So now the whole line that you just put in and what you're fighting changes, and now it's coming at you. Now you've got to bail out and run down the hill," Allen said.

Firefighters make advance plans for escape routes.

"You just want to make sure you get the rest of the guys out at the same time. That's the hard part — coordinating," Allen said.

But despite the challenges and risks, Allen said he loves his job and using all the tools and tactics of firefighting.

Aircraft where able to fly again Friday, dropping water and retardant after days of choking smoke cleared to hazy conditions.

Galice, Merlin and Glendale will remain smoky Saturday because of their proximity to the fire, said Amber Ortega, air resource advisor for the Rum Creek Fire incident.

"But areas farther away from the fire, the Illinois Valley, the Applegate Valley and the Rogue River valley — Grants Pass, Medford and Ashland — should be getting some much-needed relief by tomorrow morning," Ortega said in a Friday evening video briefing.

She said winds will remain persistent overnight from Friday to Saturday.

For Friday day and night, the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for strong, gusty winds from the west and southwest that could push the fire to the east and northeast toward scattered rural homes and Merlin.

The red flag warning covers most of Josephine and Jackson counties. Any new fire ignition could spread quickly, the National Weather Service warned.

Officials are urging everyone to be extremely cautious over the Labor Day weekend and beyond until fall rain lowers the danger.

The Rum Creek Fire was sparked by lightning Aug. 17, but historically most wildfires have been caused by people, fire managers said.

As of Friday, one home and two other structures had burned, although that was several days ago. Firefighter Logan Taylor of Talent was killed Aug. 18 during the initial attack on the fire.

As of Friday night at 8:30 p.m., a wide area around Galice and Rand remained under a "Level 3 — Go Now" evacuation order and all residents should have left the area. Many rural neighborhoods scattered between the fire and Merlin and Grants Pass remained under a "Level 2 — Be Set" to go at a moment's notice evacuation alert. Merlin remained under a "Level 1 — Be Ready" alert.

For updates on evacuation zones, the latest mapping of the fire's footprint, information about emergency evacuation shelter and more, see facebook.com/josephinecountyEM.

For air quality updates, see oraqi.deq.state.or.us/home/map.

For general information about the Rum Creek Fire, including operations and acreage updates posted each morning, see inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8348/.

To sign up for Citizen Alert evacuation alerts via phone, text or email, visit rvem.org.

Reach Mail Tribune reporter Vickie Aldous at 541-776-4486 or valdous@rosebudmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @VickieAldous.