Just got a Level 2 Evacuation Notice

[GOG]

I'm back home and I'm pissed. The Airmen at the checkpoint on our road haven't been issued any type of mask. So when I got home I grabbed a couple of N95 masks for them and a couple of breakfast sammies I picked up on the way back from town.
The AP's that were there yesterday didn't have masks either and that's bulls...!

So it's back to standby mode. Hopefully the backfire will save our little slice of paradise.

TBH, I'm more scared that the house will be saved but surrounded by a burned out forest. I'd have essentially a total loss, but probably lots of privacy.

I'm posting my thoughts as honestly as I can because this is an excellent scenario to check preps and contingency plans and I want other folks to be able to learn from my decisions and actions whether they work or not.

After all, where we go one, we go all.

 

[3putts]

I'm wound up tighter than a cheap watch, but I just took half a Xanax and may doze off in the middle of a sentence. My cardiologist gave them to me in 2014 so I figured it might help to actually take one.

I just checked the conditions and I can't see any glow, but you could cut the smoke with a knife. The Moon is visible although there's not a star in sight.
It's finally cooling off so we'll have an inversion in the AM which will give the ground assets and firefighters an opportunity to get some work in in somewhat better conditions because of it.
Then when it clears air should be able to get into action.

BTW, the Taylor Creek fire is the one that's threatening us.

When the smoke clears (literally) I'm going to get busy looking into the abuse and mismanagement of our forests and resources by the feds. I was already doing it to some extent, but now it's personal.

They've been cutting ditches across the forest roads that run off of our dead end road. We go up there all the time and treat everywhere with respect. There's waterfalls, ponds, caves and God's beauty and it's being denied to us.
If you ever want a good perspective of how much land the feds control in the West, maps are available. If you've never seen it you'll be stunned. It's also quite amazing when compared to the East.

Anyway I digress. Have a good nights rest, hopefully we'll be here in the morning.

Hope and pray all is well this morning for you. We are going through the same issues here in Curry county after the Chetco Bar Fire last year. Folks are still pointing fingers, commissioners are blaming one of their own for trying to help "too much." The dead timber, worth millions, is still standing, waiting for the next round of decay and bugs. Roads are still blocked off, rightfully so, because of the danger from falling trees, snags and branches. I can go on and...….

 

[GOG]

It's long past time for local control of our forests. We the People are the best stewards of the land. Some agency or department isn't invested the way we are and if it wasn't for mismanagement, they'd have no management style at all. Little grey men in suits aren't needed here, thank you very much.

 

[Mister Bisley]

Keep your head up @GOG. We're all pulling for you.

 

[GOG]

This is a C&P from yesterday afternoon. I'm trying to find a new update but there's only two satellite passes per day.
One of the frustrations of this event is the lack of up to the minute information, coms suck.
(The lesson learned here is to get a scanner it would be better than nothing.)

More than 2,300 personnel are now fighting the Garner Complex fires

MERLIN, Ore. - The number of acres burned by fires in the Garner Complex increased by more than 2,000 since yesterday to reach 17,369 acres this morning. The number of personnel engaged on the fire has also grown, to 2,311 people, with 102 fire engines, 45 water tenders, 35 dozers, 18 aircraft and 76 hand crews.



Overnight, firefighters made progress on building and extending control lines. Today, firefighters will work to secure and hold those control lines by strengthening hand-built and dozer lines, placing water hoses, and continuing to mop up.

Weather permitting, firefighters expect to set fire between control lines and actively burning areas of the fire. This is done to stop the fire's advance by consuming the fuel available to the fire.

The largest fire in the Complex is the Taylor Creek Fire, which is reported at 9,642 acres. That fire is burning on both private and BLM land as well as parts of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. As smoke conditions allow, air support will be dropping water and retardant on the south and west sides of the Taylor Creek, Pleasant Creek and Grave Creek fires. Firefighters have been successful in hold the Spencer Creek Fire within control lines. Mop-up on that fire continues.

The Office of the Oregon State Fire Marshal has stated that no structures have been lost in the fire, but hundreds of primary residences as well as other structures are considered threatened. Structural crews are continuing to assess and create defensible spaces around homes and other structures on the Grave Creek and Taylor Creek fires. Level 3 evacuations have affected almost 400 people. Current evacuation information can be found by contacting the Joint Information Center in southern Oregon at 541-474-5305 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. A Red Cross shelter is set up for evacuees at Grants Pass High School at 830 N.E. 9th Street. The number for the shelter is 541-474-5710.

A public meeting about the fires is scheduled for today at 6 p.m. in Wimer at the Evans Valley Education and Community Center, 8205 East Evans Creek. A public meeting held yesterday at North Valley High School in Grants Pass was attended by some 300 people.

Weather forecasts call for continued hot and dry conditions. Smoke will gradually lift today, resulting in higher temperatures and lower humidity at the fire. As a result, firefighters will likely see elevated fire activity today.

Posted by Oregon Dept. of Forestry information officers at 12:35 PM No comments:

 

[GOG]

Today's update:

Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Burnouts are being used to help slow spread of Garner Complex

MERLIN, Ore. - The Garner Complex is now reported at 19,944 acres, a change of 2,575 acres since yesterday morning. Containment grew slightly to 18%.

Much of the growth occurred on the Taylor Creek Fire west of Grants Pass, where controlled burnout operations were conducted last night to consume fuel between the fire and control lines. More burnouts are planned for today. This fire is reported today at 11,831 acres. Roughly half that is on lands protected by ODF, including BLM, and half on Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

More than a hundred additional personnel have joined the suppression effort, with personnel now at 2,432. Ten more fire engines are on the fire for a total of 112. Other resources include:

• 47 water tenders
• 35 dozers
• 5 other heavy equipment
• 74 hand crews

There are now 27 aircraft assigned to the Complex.

Ignition date: July 15, 2018

Acres burned: 19,944

Containment: 18%

Personnel: 2,432

Cause: Lightning
Posted by Oregon Dept. of Forestry information officers at 4:16 PM No comments:

 

[GOG]

Hopefully we're in for the night. We're still at level 2 with level 3 just up the road like last night. Nothing's changed, which is a blessing.
PS The smoke is a bit better this evening.

 

[GOG]

No news is good news, but we're still at level 2 with level three still up the road. So status quo more or less.

I haven't been able to find any updates online, but I've talked to the guys at a couple of the checkpoints. They've pretty much all said the back fires seem to be working and under control. The air quality has improved somewhat but is still pretty nasty.

The ODF Wildfire blog still has yesterday's info but I'll post the update if and when it appears.

We all smell of wood smoke for some unfathomable reason.

 

[Mister Bisley]

No news is definitely good news.

 

[GOG]

We've been back at level 3 since about 3PM and the choppers are pretty numerous and pretty much directly overhead at this point.
We weren't even aware of the level being raised until a friend called. (Remember I said earlier that comms suck?)

I'm going to re-load the truck and then sit tight until and unless they come and tell us to go.

These fires started from lightning strikes on the fifteenth of July and here we are in conflagration mode about a month before we usually get torched. It normally doesn't get this bad until later in August.

We can go back to our friends' ranch in Wolf Creek, but we're going to try and stay here as long as we can if we can do so safely.

 

[jmh119]

Be safe Sir!
Thoughts and prayers with you.
James

 

[GOG]

Did I mention that comms suck? False alarm, we're actually still at level 2.
Rural Metro Fire Dept. has an information line that's pretty helpful and seems to be the most up to date source so far.

There's been a steady helicopter attack for over two hours or so now. About a half a dozen birds. They were filling at the river and then for a while they filled at the livestock pond on the plateau right across from us.
They're still flying as I write this but they seem to be slowing down. I'm extremely impressed with those guys, they were turning around in about five minutes and if they could have filled faster, I'm sure they would have.
God bless them and all the folks fighting this fire.
Brandi took a video and I'll see if I can get it posted.

Tonight's plan was to set aggressive back fires and burn out the fuel between the people and the fire.


Here's today's ODF Wildfire Blog post and a link to the blog: Wildfire - Oregon Dept of Forestry
(We're affected in particular by the Taylor Creek fire)

Thursday, July 26, 2018
Gov. Brown gets in-person briefing at Oregon's largest active wildfire


Above: Discussing the Garner Complex during a visit today
to the Complex were Gov. Kate Brown (left) and
ODF's Chief of Fire Protection Doug Grafe
(at right in shirt with shoulder patch)
MERLIN, Ore. - Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, along with other state and local elected officials, got an in-person briefing today from the team managing the state's largest active wildfire - the 21,443-acre Garner Complex in southern Oregon. The lightning-caused fires within the Complex are reported as 19% contained.

Gov. Brown's visit coincided with the U.S. Forest Service becoming part of the fire's unified command with the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office. Much of the 13,114-acre Taylor Creek Fire (the largest single fire within the Garner Complex), is burning on or threatening U.S. Forest Service lands. Oregon currently has more active large wildfires than any other state.

Red flag weather warnings were in effect today for the area of the Complex, meaning gusty winds, high temperatures and low humidity called for extra alertness to the possibility of rapid fire growth.

Skies over the fire were generally clearer this morning, meaning better flying conditions for helicopters and airtankers. These aircraft are being used to help maintain control lines around the fire. Burnouts took place today to remove unburned fuels between the active fire and the control lines dug around it. In all, there are over 70 miles of fireline. Firefighters today were scheduled to strengthen, mop up (making sure all fire along the line is out cold) and patrol the lines on the Grave Creek portion of the Complex.

Working last night and into this morning, firefighters were able to contain a spot fire that had threatened the control line in the Shan Creek area of the Taylor Creek Fire. Keeping that line secure was a top priority today.

Some 2,491 personnel are engaged on the Garner Complex, including 50 Oregon National Guard members helping with traffic control. Posted by Oregon Dept. of Forestry information officers at 4:24 PM No comments:

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

Be safe @GOG we are praying for you.

 

[GOG]

Thank you.

 

[Mister Bisley]

I wonder how many car washes Ol' Gov. Kate Brownstain got on the way down to Southern OR?

 

[GOG]

We're still at level 2 but we just heard the fire reached the river, but we have no idea where or if it's even true for that matter.
There's no new info that I can find yet.
There's quite a lot of ash in the air and we have another Red Flag warning for today from 2 to 8PM. (wind)

I'll be dropping Brandi at work shortly and then right back here to stand by for another (hopefully) quiet and safe day.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Here's to hoping for a quiet and safe day for you all...
Andy

 

[etrain16]

Continued prayers that you and your neighbor's homes remain safe. It's good to see the firefighters putting their full effort into keeping you folks protected. Sound like a possible positive change in the weather coming up in a few days with higher humidity, hopefully, if that happens, it helps get things under control.

 

[11Charlie]

I really hope that things turn in your favor and soon. I am sure this has all been very stressful to say the least.

 

[cigars]

Praying for rain!