Slater Fire Now 131.601 Acres and 5% Contained [Video of the Destruction]

Press release from the Slater Fire:

Oregon area:  Bulldozers and fire engines worked to contain spots between primary and secondary containment lines on the north edge of the Slater Fire today. The Slater Fire activity picked up in late afternoon, with southeast winds moving it towards Takilma and pushing it back into Cedar Gulch. Residents in the north end of the fire can expect increased activity as winds continue and the inversion lifts. New Level 1 evacuations were issued in Josephine County due to these changing conditions. https://www.facebook.com/josephinecountyEM

Gasquet Area: Firefighters continued to prepare and hold the Knopki Road to protect the town of Gasquet. Firefighters began to prep contingency lines to control the fire’s spread south and west, after the fire got established west of Highway 199 near the state line.

Happy Camp: Mop-up continued today in Happy Camp, where firelines are secure and residents were allowed back into many parts of town earlier today.  Pacific Power continued to progress in restoring power to the town of Happy Camp, while cleanup there is ongoing. www.facebook.com/SiskiyouCountySheriff

	Acreage	Containment	Crews	Engines	Dozers	Water tenders	Helicopters
Slater	131,601	10%	13	74	3	11	7
Devil	4,429	0%	*

*fire is currently unstaffed.

EVACUATIONS

California: EVACUATION ORDERS remain in effect for a few neighborhoods in Happy Camp where downed power lines and hazardous materials remain a concern. EVACUATION WARNINGS are still in place for most of Happy Camp including Elk Creek Road, and for Seiad along Highway 96, as well as for Gasquet, Hiouchi and Big Flat.

Oregon:  Oregon, Level 3 “Go” orders are in effect in the O’Brien, and Takilma areas, Dick George Road (including most of Holland Loop) and Takilma Road areas, Brown Road, O’Brien and all areas south of Brown Road O’Brien. EVACUATION WARNINGS are in effect for Gasquet in California, while nearby communities of Hiouchi and Big Flat are on Level 1 “Get Ready” alert. Level 2 “Get Set” orders are in effect south of Kerby and Cave Junction areas in Oregon.

MORE INFORMATION:

Current evacuation orders are posted on Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SiskiyouCountySheriff/.

For Del Norte County evacuation information, see www.facebook.com/DelNorteOfficeOfEmergencyServices or www.preparedelnorte.com/

Evacuation order/warning info and other resources for Josephine County can be found by calling Josephine County Fire Information Center 541-474-5305 (7am-10pm) or online at:  https://www.facebook.com/josephinecountyEM , https://www.co.josephine.or.us/fire  or www.rvem.org

ROAD CLOSURES

Highway 199 remains closed from Panther Flat (north of Gasquet) to the California/Oregon state line and from O’Brien south across the stateline into California. Some roads in Oregon are experiencing serious visibility impairments due to smoky conditions, however.

Highway 96 re-opened today to one-way controlled traffic. Expect delays and use caution when traveling. Air quality is currently classified as hazardous. If you have questions, please contact the Siskiyou Emergency Operations Center at (530) 643-3662.

PUBLIC LAND CLOSURES

National Forest Closures, California: National Forests in California have been closed since September 9 and new closure orders have been issued to extend for 1 week. However, these orders are being assessed on a daily basis to consider cancelling or keeping open. More details on these closure orders, along with fire restrictions orders, can be found at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7173/

National Forest Closures, Oregon:

The Wild Rivers and Siskiyou Mountains Ranger Districts are currently closed due to extreme fire danger. These closures cover all National Forest forested areas, developed campgrounds, dispersed camping, day use areas, wilderness areas, and all forest roads and trails within those two Districts.

Bureau of Land Management Closures: As a result of extreme fire activity, the Bureau of Land Management Medford District has temporarily closed all Bureau of Land Management-administered public lands south of Grants Pass, Interstate 5, and U.S. Route 199 to the border of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Maps of the closure areas are available on the Bureau of Land Management’s website.