Jack Fire grows to 5,447 acres with zero containment
Written by Patrick Schneider on July 9, 2021
Steamboat, Ore. – The Jack Fire is currently estimated at 5,477 acres and is 0% contained. Fire crews continue to scout and construct primary, alternate, and contingency containment lines around the fire.
On Thursday, a considerable amount of work was focused on areas north of Highway 138E. Crews prepped road systems and constructed hand line to hold the fire near Ragged Ridge. Firefighters also spent time working in and around Horseshoe Bend to keep the fire out of the campground.
Structures: At Dry Creek, resources are focused on protecting private property. Structural resources assigned to the incident continue to create or improve defensible space around homes and outbuildings in the area while hot shot crews along with personnel and equipment from the Douglas Forest Protective Association completed the construction of fire lines and the installation of hose lays around the private parcels. Controlled burns may be conducted in and around the Dry Creek area in the coming days to help secure the private assets as conditions allow.
Aviation: Aviation resources continue to be used on the Jack Fire to slow the fires spread and assist ground resources. On Thursday, a Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT) dropped retardant on the fire while four Type 1 helicopters were used to deliver precise water drops where needed.
Evacuations: All Forest Service campgrounds (Apple Creek, Horseshoe Bend and Eagle Rock) are on Level 3 evacuation GO order. The Dry Creek community as well as all residences on the Illahee Road are also in Level 3 evacuation GO order. Level 2 SET evacuations were issued from mile marker 38 to 43. This includes Steamboat Inn and residences located on Brindle Bug Road, and Steelhead Caddis Road and residences and businesses located between mile post 51 and 55 on Highway 138E. Please visit the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office interactive evacuation map: www.dcso.com/evacuations
Closures: State highway 138E from Steamboat Creek to mile post 55 is closed to vehicle traffic. Steamboat Inn is also closed. Oregon Department of Transportation has set an eastside ‘soft closure’ checkpoint at Lemolo Lake junction to allow for local access into nearby recreation areas, including Lemolo Lake. Please visit https://tripcheck.com/ for updates on road closures. The Umpqua National Forest has issued an Area Closure around the Jack Fire. The full closure order and map can be viewed on InciWeb or at https://go.usa.gov/xGJSE.
Weather: Forecast for temperatures in mid-80’s to 90 degrees with light east winds up switching to west in the afternoon at 3-6 mph with gusts up to 10-12 mph.
