Wildfire north of Prospect proves hard to handle

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The 3,500 acre Middle Fork Fire in the Sky Lakes Wilderness will continue to send smoke into Prospect and the Rogue Valley with forecasted hot dry weather.Jamie Lusch

September 13, 2008

By Mark Freeman

Mail Tribune

Fire crews will battle hot temperatures, steep ground and stiffer winds today as they step up their efforts to corral a tough-to-reach wildfire burning in the Sky Lakes Wilderness Area about 21 miles northeast of Prospect.

A team of federal fire managers set up shop Friday at Stewart State Park as the new headquarters for those battling the Middle Fork fire, which has grown 75 percent since Wednesday and continues to spew smoke into the Rogue Valley.

Infrared imaging done Friday pegged the fire at 3,183 acres and it remained listed at 5 percent contained four weeks after lightning strikes ignited the blaze, which is the only active part of the Lonesome Complex string of wildfires.

Calling in the Blue Mountain Interagency Incident Management Team from northeastern Oregon relieves Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest crews from direct responsibility for fighting the fire, a logical ratcheting up of suppression efforts, said Ada Takacs, the team's spokeswoman.

"The complexity of it is higher now," Takacs said from fire camp. "If we see a need, we can call in resources from all over. (But) it's not like we expect this to blow up."

The fire remains within the wilderness boundaries and threatens no private lands or communities, Takacs said. Three Forest Service shelters and cabins were listed as threatened Friday, but nothing has been damaged, she said.

Flames continue to burn mainly amid duff, downed logs, brush and snags along the forest floor, which remains extremely dry and ripe for burning, Forest Service spokeswoman Erica Hupp said.

"The weather, the fuel conditions and the terrain are all conditions that make it very, very hard to fight a fire," Hupp said.Though occasionally running up smaller trees, flames largely have evaded mature trees common to the wilderness area and few large trees so far have succumbed to the fire, Hupp said.

Fire managers were busy assessing the flames, terrain and unfavorable weather reports — hot, dry weather and afternoon winds — to map out a strategy, Takacs said.

Initial plans were to continue building fire lines on the fire's east and south sides, firefighters said.

Eleven 20-person hand crews were to be joined Friday by one helicopter, two engines and three water tenders in fighting the fire, Forest Service spokeswoman Patty Burel said.

The Middle Fork fire was expected to burn until fall rains douse flames.

The 411-acre Lonesome fire and the 69-acre Bessie fire, which round out the Lonesome Complex fires, already are contained.

Hikers and hunters were blocked from several trails and roads, including Forest Service Road No. 300 and much of the Bessie Rock Road (No. 3795).

Signs listing the closures and warning of additional closures have been placed at most trail heads.

For a complete list of trail and road closures, visit the interagency Web page at www.inciweb.org.

Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail mfreeman@mailtribune.com.

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