Fox Creek Holdover Fire Update

A holdover fire located within the footprint of the Archie Creek Fire was located Thursday afternoon south of the North Umpqua River, near Milepost 29 on Highway 138 East. An engine crew from the Douglas Forest Protective Association hiked into the fire, which was named the Fox Creek Fire, and reported a slow-moving fire that was about an acre in size. The Incident Commander reported that the Fox Creek Fire was primarily burning in the heavy fuels that remained on the landscape after last summer’s Archie Creek Fire, such as stumps, stobs, and downed logs. DFPA’s helicopter was dispatched to the incident and was used to cool the perimeter of the fire in addition to several jackpots of fuel that were burning within the interior of the fire. Today, a DFPA engine crew returned to the Fox Creek holdover fire and reported little to no growth on the incident. Firefighters focused their efforts today on constructing containment lines around the incident and will be assisted by an additional 15 firefighters on Saturday to help extinguish hot spots near the perimeter of the fire. Smoke coming from the interior of the Fox Creek Fire may be visible into the coming days. Additional holdover fires within the Archie Creek Fire scar may be located over the course of the summer as temperatures rise, and fuels dry out. DFPA continues to work with public land management agencies and private landowners who were affected by the Archie Creek Fire to monitor the burned area for smoke and flame by using fire detection cameras, aviation resources, and ground patrols. All holdover fires that are detected within the footprint of the Archie Creek Fire this summer will receive a response from firefighters and the appropriate suppression actions will be taken based on safety factors and the probability of fire spread. Via DFPA