Firefighters in Oregon and Washington continue to battle persistent fires that have fouled the air across the region this week.
The wildfire burning in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in southern Oregon is estimated to have grown to around 15,200 acres as of Thursday morning, while firefighters in central Oregon and across the Columbia River in Washington state work to finish containment of the Boulder fire and a large blaze at a Longview papermill, respectively.
Trails, roads and a portion of southern Oregon’s Illinois River in the national forest remain closed as more than 900 firefighters work to combat the Flat fire, which is threatening more than 40 structures near Agness, officials said. Firefighters on the ground are receiving assistance from eight helicopters, 10 engines, four bulldozers and seven masticators, as of Thursday morning.
The number of firefighters nearly doubled overnight as the fire grew more than 3,000 acres, according to a release from the Northwest Interagency Command Center.
The Flat fire was reported 2 miles southwest of Agness in Curry County at about 6 p.m. Saturday. It is believed to have started near the Oak Flat Campground. Investigators haven’t yet determined what sparked the blaze, the interagency fire team said.
The fire is burning in large swathes of new-growth forest lands in Josephine and Curry counties, an area that has seen some of Oregon’s largest wildfires – including the Biscuit fire, which burned around 500,000 acres in 2002. The Chetco Bar fire ravaged around 191,00 acres in the area in 2017, and one year later the Klondike fire prompted evacuations and burned more than 170,000 acres.
Winds are expected to push smoke from the Flat fire northwest Thursday, leading to diminished air quality across Oregon, including Eugene and the Portland metro areas, according to the National Weather Service.
No evacuation orders are in effect as of Thursday morning. Curry County residents can sign up for emergency notifications from Curry County Emergency Services through the Everbridge service, and Josephine County residents can sign up for emergency notifications from Rogue Valley Emergency Management through the same service.
Boulder fire nearly contained
The Boulder fire, which has burned around 230 acres in the Mt. Hood National Forest, was estimated to be 90% contained as of Wednesday night, according to the United States Forest Service.
The Boulder fire burning in Wasco County near Mount Hood burned over 230 acres by Wednesday evening.Courtesy of Wasco County Sheriff’s Office
Fire crews and air-support teams have spent nearly two weeks fighting the fire, which is burning in dead foliage and debris on steep, rugged terrain, officials said.
Investigators with the forest service are seeking the public’s help in determining the cause of the fire, which is believed to have been sparked near the Boulder Lake Trailhead on July 8. Anyone with information, or relevant photographs or videos from that day, is asked to contact investigators via email at SM.FS.R6TipHotLine@usda.gov.
Papermill blaze continues to burn
In southwest Washington, fire crews from Cowlitz County continue to battle a large fire at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in Longview, Washington, that broke out Monday.
A helicopter that can drop more than 2,500 gallons of water at a time is seen aiding fire crews battling a large fire at a papermill in Longview, Washington on Wednesday, July 19, 2023.Courtesy of the Longview Fire Department
Longview Fire Marshal John Durham said the fire currently is contained to a massive pile of woodchips used to create pulp and paper products at the papermill on Industrial Way. The facility previously belonged to the Weyerhaeuser Company.
A helicopter that can drop more than 2,500 gallons of water at a time is continuing to aid firefighters as they dig through the wood chips to get to the root of the fire, Durham said.
The Longview Fire Department first responded to reports of a blaze at the paper mill around 6:40 p.m. Monday. It battled the blaze throughout the night, with assistance from the Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue and Cowlitz County Fire Districts 3, 5 and 6, Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue and the Washington state Department of Natural Resources.
Durham said as many as 45 firefighters and 8 apparatuses responded at the fire’s peak, with assistance throughout the week from heavy-equipment operators hired by the Nippon Dynawave company.
“We’re making good progress,” Durham said. “The drops keep coming and we’re working to get through as much of the pile as we can.”
— Nick Gibson; ngibson@oregonian.com; 971-393-8259; @newsynicholas
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