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A helicopter takes a bucket full of water to be dropped on the Apple Creek Fire east of Steamboat on Highway 138 Friday evening. At left, a spot fire from the Apple Creek Fire burns along the North Umpqua River.
STEAMBOAT -- What began as a small forest fire Friday about 45 miles east of Roseburg ballooned into a 3,500-acre blaze by Saturday night and forced the closure of Highway 138 East this morning.
The blaze, dubbed the Apple Creek Fire, was expected to grow to as many as 6,000 acres by today. No homes were directly threatened by flames as of Saturday night.
In response to heavy smoke conditions and fire danger, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced Saturday night it was closing Highway 138 East between Mileposts 38 and 50 as of 5 a.m. today.
No estimate for reopening Highway 138 has been announced, but motorists can get updates on the road's status by going online to www.tripcheck.com or by calling 1-800-977-6368.
A Type II fire management team was preparing to take over firefighting efforts in Glide Saturday afternoon.
The blaze was first noted on Friday at about 10 a.m. south of the Apple Creek campground off of Highway 138 East near Milepost 43, said Fire Information Officer Scott Brayton of the U.S. Forest Service. The campground has since been closed.
"It started at about 10 or 15 acres, and just blew up," Brayton said. "They had wind out there like you wouldn't believe. It got into those canyons and just went."
Flames spread in all directions from the ignition point, stopping in the northwest on the southern bank of the North Umpqua River right next to the campground. The flames spread primarily in a southeastern direction on Saturday.
Saturday afternoon a pall of smoke hung over the highway, and a smoke column thousands of feet high was visible from the road at the Apple Creek campground. There were still open flames burning across the river from the road at 7 p.m, and several firefighters stood watch to make sure the fire didn't jump the river.
The speed with which the Apple Creek Fire spread has left firefighting resources in the area strained. Acting fire manager Lyle Burmeister of the U.S. Forest Service said he had no more than 100 firefighters and no aircraft permanently assigned to his fire as of Saturday night.
The lack of resources and of any immediate threat to homes led to a cautious approach by firefighters on Saturday.
"The slopes are steep, the fire is hot, the winds are high," Burmeister said. "As a result, because of firefighter safety concerns, we've pulled back some."
Burmeister could not say how the fire started, but the cause is under investigation.
Howard Carlson, who was to take over for Burmeister as fire manager this morning, said how much the fire could spread was difficult to predict, but he expected significant growth before it was contained.
"I would project right now, based on current conditions, (it could burn) about 12,000 acres (total)," he said. "But that's a guess."
The spreading flames have also caused the Horseshoe Bend campground and the Twin Lakes recreation area to be closed.
Although the blaze was only a few miles east of her, Sharon Van Loan, owner of the Steamboat Inn near Milepost 38, said so far it had little effect on business.
"It's frightening for sure," she said. "But so far it seems to be moving south and east. There's been a little smoke, when the wind is right."
Van Loan said she had only one customer cancel their stay at the inn, after being warned of possible danger while at Diamond Lake.
Although the Apple Creek fire has grown much faster, the flames in the Tiller Complex of fires in the Umpqua National Forest continue to spread as well.
Reports from the incident management team on Saturday morning showed the fire complex had grown to 52,600 acres, 400 more than on Friday. The fires were estimated at 42 percent contained, and were caused by lighting storms July 12 and 13.
Several hundred U.S. Army soldiers who were assisting with firefighting operations left the camp on Friday.
The cost of fighting the Tiller Complex fires has grown to an estimated $23 million.
A few of the Tiller Complex's 12 aircraft were also diverted Friday to help with the Apple Creek fire.
-- You can reach reporter Chris Pollock at 957-4213 or by e-mail at cpollock@newsreview.info.
The blaze, dubbed the Apple Creek Fire, was expected to grow to as many as 6,000 acres by today. No homes were directly threatened by flames as of Saturday night.
In response to heavy smoke conditions and fire danger, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced Saturday night it was closing Highway 138 East between Mileposts 38 and 50 as of 5 a.m. today.
No estimate for reopening Highway 138 has been announced, but motorists can get updates on the road's status by going online to www.tripcheck.com or by calling 1-800-977-6368.
A Type II fire management team was preparing to take over firefighting efforts in Glide Saturday afternoon.
The blaze was first noted on Friday at about 10 a.m. south of the Apple Creek campground off of Highway 138 East near Milepost 43, said Fire Information Officer Scott Brayton of the U.S. Forest Service. The campground has since been closed.
"It started at about 10 or 15 acres, and just blew up," Brayton said. "They had wind out there like you wouldn't believe. It got into those canyons and just went."
Flames spread in all directions from the ignition point, stopping in the northwest on the southern bank of the North Umpqua River right next to the campground. The flames spread primarily in a southeastern direction on Saturday.
Saturday afternoon a pall of smoke hung over the highway, and a smoke column thousands of feet high was visible from the road at the Apple Creek campground. There were still open flames burning across the river from the road at 7 p.m, and several firefighters stood watch to make sure the fire didn't jump the river.
The speed with which the Apple Creek Fire spread has left firefighting resources in the area strained. Acting fire manager Lyle Burmeister of the U.S. Forest Service said he had no more than 100 firefighters and no aircraft permanently assigned to his fire as of Saturday night.
The lack of resources and of any immediate threat to homes led to a cautious approach by firefighters on Saturday.
"The slopes are steep, the fire is hot, the winds are high," Burmeister said. "As a result, because of firefighter safety concerns, we've pulled back some."
Burmeister could not say how the fire started, but the cause is under investigation.
Howard Carlson, who was to take over for Burmeister as fire manager this morning, said how much the fire could spread was difficult to predict, but he expected significant growth before it was contained.
"I would project right now, based on current conditions, (it could burn) about 12,000 acres (total)," he said. "But that's a guess."
The spreading flames have also caused the Horseshoe Bend campground and the Twin Lakes recreation area to be closed.
Although the blaze was only a few miles east of her, Sharon Van Loan, owner of the Steamboat Inn near Milepost 38, said so far it had little effect on business.
"It's frightening for sure," she said. "But so far it seems to be moving south and east. There's been a little smoke, when the wind is right."
Van Loan said she had only one customer cancel their stay at the inn, after being warned of possible danger while at Diamond Lake.
Although the Apple Creek fire has grown much faster, the flames in the Tiller Complex of fires in the Umpqua National Forest continue to spread as well.
Reports from the incident management team on Saturday morning showed the fire complex had grown to 52,600 acres, 400 more than on Friday. The fires were estimated at 42 percent contained, and were caused by lighting storms July 12 and 13.
Several hundred U.S. Army soldiers who were assisting with firefighting operations left the camp on Friday.
The cost of fighting the Tiller Complex fires has grown to an estimated $23 million.
A few of the Tiller Complex's 12 aircraft were also diverted Friday to help with the Apple Creek fire.
-- You can reach reporter Chris Pollock at 957-4213 or by e-mail at cpollock@newsreview.info.
