Jack Fire grows to nearly 18k acres, 50% contained
Written by Patrick Schneider on July 19, 2021
Steamboat, Ore – The Jack Fire is currently estimated at 17,994 acres and is 50% contained. North of Hwy. 138, Along the northern flank, firefighters deepened the control line, and will continue mop-up and securing line. On the eastern flank, crews will complete burnout operations for increased depth of fire lines. Fallers are removing snags and at-risk trees to make roads safe to travel and crews continue to monitor fire behavior along North Umpqua River.
South of Hwy 138, firefighters have prepared control lines and burned vegetation to create a secure control line on the west and southwest flanks. On the south and southeast east flank, crews will utilize heavy equipment and fallers to clear and brush out roads used as control lines. Crews will also be scouting for alternative lines to tie into existing hand line. Contingency line construction will continue with the primary focus to utilize existing roads as much as possible. Fallers plan to remove snags and put in shaded fuel breaks. A shaded fuel break involves removal of shrubs and smaller ladder fuels from under larger trees.
Structures: Crews continue to mop-up and patrol around structures in Dry Creek area and around Horseshoe Bend Campground.
Aviation: Air support today includes two Heavy Type 1 helicopters with buckets and one Heavy Type 1 helicopter with a tank along with one light Type 3 helicopter. Air assets provide ground resources with water and retardant drops to limit the spread of the fire and to help establish and hold containment lines.
Closures: For your safety and the safety of others, the Umpqua National Forest closure orders remain in effect. The full closure order and map can be viewed on at www.fs.usda.gov/umpqua and on the Jack Fire Facebook page.
Evacuations: Effective Wednesday, July 14, 2021, at 5:30 pm, the following are evacuation levels issued:
•LEVEL 2 “BE SET” evacuation for all residences and businesses located between milepost 43 and 51 on Highway 138E, including the Dry Creek Community is in effect
•All residences and businesses located between milepost 38 and 43 on Highway 138E, including the Steamboat Inn and all residences located on Brindle Bug Road and Steelhead Caddis Road, are in a Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuation level.
•All residences and businesses located between milepost 51 and 55 on Highway 138E are in a Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuation level.
•All residences and businesses located between milepost 55 and 60 on Highway 138E, to include the Slide Creek Village, Toketee Village and Clearwater Village, are no longer under a formal evacuation notice.
A current evacuation map can be found at www.dcso.com/evacuations The Sheriff’s Office will continue to work with county commissioners, fire managers and agency partners to ensure public safety.
Weather: Partly cloudy skies today with temperatures 85-90 degrees. Winds east northeast in the morning changing to west northwest in afternoon. The Incident Team meteorologist noted the last significant rainfall in this area was June 14 when 3/4″ rain fell over 24 hours.
