The Flat Fire is spreading quickly in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest between Gold Beach and Grants Pass. Dry vegetation and winds have contributed to its quick spread. As of Thursday morning, the fire stands at more than 15,000 acres. The fire has spread toward Wild Horse Ridge up Lawson Creek on its west side.
More than 900 personnel are working the fire, which threatens around 40 structures in and around the small community of Agness. More teams and equipment have been requested.
Smoke billows from a hillside Wednesday, July 19, 2023, as the Flat Fire continues to spread in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest between Gold Beach and Grants Pass. The fire started near Oak Flat Campground along the Illinois River and now threatens the small community of Agness.
Rogue River-Siskiyou National
On Tuesday night, successful operations to burn out vegetation between firefighters and the wildfire occurred in the northwest section of the fire, which will continue today if conditions allow.
“We’re gaining on it,” said Operations Section Chief Brian Bishop regarding the northern area in a Facebook video posted Wednesday. “And that’s the positive.”
An evacuation shelter has been temporarily set up at Gold Beach High School for anyone displaced by the fire. As of Wednesday morning, there were no evacuations ordered. Residents can sign up for emergency notifications with the Curry County Emergency Management Department with Everbridge.
A closure order is in effect for the national forest lands surrounding the fire. The area where the fire is burning is very remote, with a population of around 300 in the zip code around Agness. It’s a popular recreational area along the Rogue and Illinois rivers. The rugged, mountainous terrain makes it more difficult for firefighting crews to access the area.
A Facebook page has been created for the fire, and further updates from agencies will be included there. The fire is currently burning on both sides of the Illinois River.
Doug Epperson from that interagency team said this fire is burning in new vegetation after the 2002 Biscuit Fire, which is one of the largest fires in Oregon’s known history.
“There’s been a lot of growth since then,” he said. “But we can also take some information on what we learned back at that time on how to help with this fire.”
A fire weather watch from the National Weather Service has been issued for Thursday afternoon through that evening, citing 10 to 15 mph winds and low humidity. As of now, the Rogue Valley is not experiencing any air quality alerts.