A fast-growing fire is tearing through the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in southern Oregon, spanning 2,000 to 3,000 acres as of Sunday morning.
Officials said the fire behavior was extreme due to high winds and steep terrain. The Flat fire was reported 2 miles southwest of Agness in Curry County, at about 6 p.m. Saturday. It started near the Oak Flat Campground.
Additional fire crews and resources will arrive throughout the day, officials said.
“The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is committed to protecting the communities of Oak Flat and Agness and will continue to work to keep the fire as small as possible,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.
Officials said they expect the fire to grow rapidly over the next few days due to hazardous weather conditions and difficult terrain.
The fire is burning in 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.
The forest service asks people to use caution and follow fire restrictions.
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; 503-319-9744
