Rattle Fire Update
Incident: Rattle Wildland Fire
Released: 9/3/2008
On Tuesday, crews completed brushing the 4760 road to improve access to Illahee Road Lookout. Boulder Creek Trail is now improved as far north as Onion Creek. Crews will continue northward past Onion Creek on Wednesday, with plans to wrap up contingency lines west of Pine Bench by the weekend. The fire will continue to be monitored by ground and air personnel with two engines staged for Initial Attack. Four rappeller-firefighters walked out of the wilderness today after completing Initial Attack on the Mule Fire on Mt. Theilsen. Air operations dropped water on hotspots located by last night's infrared flight, mitigating the rise
in temperatures and the decrease in fuel moisture.
Fire acreage is expected to increase in small increments as the
weather returns to a warming and drying trend through mid-September.
Fire Behavior Analyst Roddy Baumann stated "We are edging back into fire season." Baumann explained that fuel moisture from recent precipitation is rapidly diminishing. As before the rains, fire growth will be
primarily from snags igniting adjacent light fuels, rolling embers in steep terrain, and fire creeping through forest duff.
On Friday, September 5, 2008, the NW Oregon Incident Management Team will transfer command of the Rattle Fire to a Type III Incident Management Team led by Nick Lunde. The Fire Camp at Glide will relocate to the Oregon Department of Transportation Sandshed. The helibase will remain at the current location east of Glide.
The Rattle Fire is one of over 100 lightning-caused fires started by a lightning complex on August 18, 2008, and is burning in the Boulder Creek
Wilderness of the Umpqua National Forest.
For further information contact: Rattle Fire Information at 541. 496. 9609.
New email for the Rattle Fire: RattleFire2008@gmail.com.
Rattle Fire at a Glance (9/03/08)
Size: 960 acres
Location: Approximately 26 miles NE of Glide, OR
1 mile SE of lllahee
Lookout
Containment: 0 %
Expected Containment: 9/30/08
Cause: Lightning
August 8/18/08
Resources: Crews: 1 Type 1, 1 10 person Helitack Crew
Helicopters:
2 Type 1 (Heavy Lift)
1 Type 2 (Medium Lift)
1 Type 3.(Light).
Engines: 2
Tenders: 1.
Total Personnel Assigned: 231
Closures: Boulder Creek Wilderness
Trail Closures: A portion of the Jessie Wright Trail #1414; Skipper Lakes #1486; Perry Butte #1487; Cinder Prairie #1488; Bradley #1491; unnamed #1492; Soda Springs Connection (along road) #1493; Illahee Flat #1539; Bulldog Rock #1534; Wild Rose #1535; Illahee Lookout #1539; Fuller Lake #1543; Boulder Creek #1552; Spring Mountain #1553; Boulder West #1554
