Chetco Bar Fire Information: Updated phone hours 6am to 10pm
(541) 316-5816, (541) 414-4489, (541) 247-3680, and (541) 469-1177
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5385/
The Chetco Bar Fire is at 102,333 acres with no containment. The fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain and is still about 5.2 miles northeast of Brookings, Oregon. Total personnel fighting the fire is 1,174.
Firefighters continued to make progress yesterday and last night, building direct fire line and indirect contingency line on the south and southwestern flank of the fire using hand crews, dozers and helicopter bucket drops.Crews continued to improve defensible space, prepping structures and setting up sprinkler systems around homes.
The locally-known “Chetco Wind” is expected over the fire area beginning tonight, creating gusty Northeast winds and causing a drop in relative humidity and much warmer temperatures through Saturday. Firefighters have been preparing for this change in weather by building direct fire line and contingency lines on the south and southwestern portions of the fire and increasing the number of structural firefighting resources to assist with structure protection. The team will use helicopters and air tankers as weather allows.
Level 2 and 3 evacuations remain in effect. Residents in the level 2 evacuation area are advised to remain prepared to leave the area at a moment’s notice, while residents in the Level 3 evacuation area are advised to stay out of the area completely. An interactive map of the evacuation area can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/yaqhaaqc. Those who have not signed up for reverse 911, can sign up for the emergency alert at http://tinyurl.com/CurryReverse911. The Red Cross is continuing to staff an emergency evacuation shelter at Riley Creek Elementary at 94350 6th St. Gold Beach, OR. (541) 600-6068. There is no shelter in Brookings.
Smoke impacts and haze will increase today along the coast in the Gold Beach and Brookings-Harbor region due to northeast winds transporting smoke to the southwest. Highway 101 will continue to have limited visibility due to sea fog this morning transitioning to smoke midday. For more info about air quality, please visit https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/2017/ChetcoBar…
The Chetco Bar Fire is operating under a unified command structure that includes Oregon State Fire Marshal, U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and Coos Forest Protection Association. This team continues working closely with the Curry County Sheriff’s Office and local emergency personnel and cooperators. This unified team recognizes that every home and acre across the landscape has value to the community. The team is working to protect these values.
For a downloadable, printable version of this update, click here:
http://tinyurl.com/Aug24-UpdateChetcoBar