Diligent efforts by fire crews increased containment on the Rock Creek Fire to 75% as of August 30th. Crews are on a “search and destroy” mission to detect and extinguish any remaining hotspots in the fire footprint. The fire will transition from a Type 3 to a Type 4 fire on Thursday August 31st and full containment is expected before the weekend. “A fire like this is never ideal, but the cooperative suppression response worked,” said Siuslaw National Forest Supervisor Becca Brooke. “A rapid initial attack from our firefighters, alongside folks from Oregon Department of Forestry and Miller Timber Services, helped keep this fire footprint small. I’m very grateful for their support.”
The Rock Creek Fire started following a lightning storm in the early morning hours of August 25. Additionally, firefighters are also responding to the Three Buttes Fire, located east of Florence. Despite recent cooler temperatures and scattered rain, the Oregon Coast is unusually dry this summer with record low fuel-moistures. This means ground cover and vegetation (which can be thick and dense on the Oregon Coast) is remarkably prone to fire and rapid fire spread. Public Use Restrictions have been in place on the Siuslaw National Forest since August 16. Campfires are banned except within a select few developed campgrounds on the coast. Details, including a list of where fires are allowed, can be viewed at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/siuslaw/fire
