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Archie Creek and Thielsen Fires Update October 3, 2020

Thielsen Fire Email: [email protected] Phone: 541-625-0687 InciWeb:https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7195/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/ThielsenFire

Archie Creek Fire Email: [email protected] Phone: 971-334-7674 InciWeb:  https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7176/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArchieCreekFireInfo/

Special Notes: Umpqua National Forest has reduced the size of the Thielsen Fire closure area. Diamond Lake Resort and Diamond Lake are now open for public recreation, but Diamond Lake Campground is closed for the rest of the year. Thielsen View Campground will be open from Monday, October 5, through October 28 on a first-come, first-served basis. No water is available at Thielsen View Campground, so please plan accordingly. Umpqua Hot Springs, fire lookouts, cabins, and group picnic sites remain closed. For more information and closure order map, see https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7195/57398/

Deer season opens today, so all forest users should be cautious as fire season continues. It is important to know what fire restrictions are in place before heading to the woods. Fire restrictions may vary between different agencies and districts. Locally, on the Douglas District of the Douglas Forest Protective Association, public use restrictions remain in effect on all private, county, state, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs lands that are protected by DFPA with a fire danger rating of Moderate. For more information, see  www.dfpa.net or call DFPA’s 24-hour information line at 541-672-0379. The fire danger rating on Umpqua National Forest is also Moderate. For more information on Umpqua National Forest fire restrictions, please call 541-957-3200 or visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/umpqua/

Archie Creek Fire: The Archie Creek Fire is east of Roseburg in the North Umpqua corridor on state, private and federal land. It has burned 131,542 acres and is 81 percent contained. There are currently 672 personnel assigned. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Personnel and Equipment: 17 Type-2 hand crews, 3 helicopters, 1 fixed wing air attack, 30 engines, 16 bulldozers, 11 water tenders, 3 masticators, 2 skidgines, 13 excavators, 7 chippers and 4 dump trucks.

Today is a day of change on the Archie Creek Fire, with command and leadership of the incident shifting as containment increases. The Southern Area Red Team continues to manage fire operations on Umpqua National Forest lands and Oregon and California (O&C) lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, while fire operations on private lands returns to the Douglas Forest Protective Association. DFPA has created a local Type 3 Incident Management Team, with Incident Commander Paul Ritter, to continue mop up and patrol of firelines on private lands. Although administrative changes have been made, work on the ground continues to protect homes, timber and other values.

Upper level smoke from California fires shaded the fire again yesterday and may do so again today. Firefighters will continue mopping up some areas, but are mostly transitioning to patrol status. The largest remaining task is removing hazard trees along Rock Creek Road, Wright Creek and the Cool Water area to make these areas safe. As work is completed, firefighters and equipment are being released from the fire. 

Crews will continue with suppression repair on Umpqua National Forest and Bureau of Land Management-managed lands. Chippers, excavators and dump trucks are being used to repair damage caused by fighting the fire, not for damage from the fire itself. Examples of suppression repair work in progress are installing water bars on firelines for proper drainage, especially on steep slopes. Crews are chipping brush along drainage ditches and hauling out trees felled to construct firelines. Suppression repair work is done in concert with agency resource advisors to meet resource protection standards.

Thielsen Fire: The Thielsen Fire is located five miles north of Crater Lake near Diamond Lake Resort. It has burned 9,975 acres and is 69 percent contained. There are currently 211 personnel assigned. Cause: unknown.

Personnel and Equipment: 4 Type-2 hand crews, 1 helicopter, 4 engines, 3 bulldozers, 6 water tenders, 2 skidders, 1 masticator, 4 excavators, 1 tub grinder and 5 dump trucks.

The fire continues to smolder in large stumps and deep duff. Yesterday fire crews conducted mop up and suppression repairs along containment lines. Today, mop up and suppression repairs will continue, and firefighters will continue improving a contingency line along Forest Service Road 60.

Help for Fire Victims: Information on disaster aid and organizations helping victims of the Archie Creek Fire can be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7176/57029/

Evacuations, Shelter Areas: An interactive map of the current evacuation area can be found at www.dcso.com/evacuations.  For more evacuation information, visit the Douglas County Sheriff website www.dcso.com/evacuations and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DouglasCoSO

The Douglas County Fairgrounds has full RV spaces, electric hookup spaces and dry camping available. They also have stalls and arenas for livestock and farm animals. Contact Ciera Keith at (541) 440-4394.

Air quality: See the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality at https://www.oregon.gov/deq

Closures:

  • Roads –Highway 138E is open, but delays should be expected. The route to Miller Lake via FS Road 9772 remains closed from the intersection with Hwy. 97 to the intersection with FS Road 110 due to firefighter traffic. Drivers are being directed to take FS Road 9774 to connect with FS Road 110 as an alternative route. See www.tripcheck.com for updates on highway closures.
  • Bureau of Land Management – All BLM-managed lands in the Swiftwater Resource Area east of the Willamette Meridan, Range 3 and 4 boundary line, and north of Little River Road are closed. This includes Rock Creek Road from the end of Douglas County road maintenance to the boundary of the Roseburg and Northwest Oregon BLM District line, and all BLM recreation sites in the closure boundary, including Rock Creek, Lone Pine, Millpond, Scaredman and Susan Creek campgrounds, and all BLM day use areas within the closure area. Cavitt Creek Falls Campground is closed for the season. For more information, see https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7176/57115/
  • Umpqua National Forest – sections of the North Umpqua (North Umpqua Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-01-20-425) and Diamond Lake Districts (Diamond Lake Ranger District ORDER NO. 06-15-03-20-426) remain under a fire closure order. Umpqua Hot Springs, fire lookouts, cabins and group picnic sites remain closed. Diamond Lake Resort and Diamond Lake are now open for public recreation, but Diamond Lake Campground is closed for the rest of the year. North Umpqua District closure: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7176/57090/ and Diamond Lake District closure: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7195/57398/  More information on Forest Service closures is available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/umpqua/alerts-notices The Umpqua National Forest is currently at Industrial Fire Precaution Level I. The fire danger is Moderate.

Temporary Flight Restriction: There are temporary flight restriction for aircraft, including drones, for the Archie Fire and the Thielsen Fire. The temporary flight restriction for Thielsen Fire will be removed at 8 pm tonight, October 3. Wildfires are a No Drone Zones. If you fly, we can’t. For more information, visit https://knowbeforeyoufly.org/

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