Firefighters continue to fight 83K acre Smith River Complex

JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. – Firefighters continued to make progress on the 83,974 acre Smith River Complex overnight.

According to the latest update from the Six Rivers National Forest, the fire is 8% contained.

“We are working aggressively to fully suppress this fire,” said Scott Blower, Wild River District Ranger for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

A Level 3 “GO NOW” evacuation remains in place for the Highway 199 area south of O’Brien from milepost 38 to the California-Oregon border.

A Level 2 “Get Set” evacuation is in place for O’Brien and the Takilma area.

A Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuation is in place north to Cave Junction.

The Red Cross evacuation shelter is located at Rogue Community College in Grants Pass. Livestock can be housed at the Josephine County Fairgrounds.

Oregon State Fire Marshal task forces continue working to expand defensible space around protected structures. After dark, OSFM crews conduct perimeter patrols, watching for spot fires and helping wildland resources as needed.

Due to fire activity, the public is encouraged to monitor the Rogue Valley Emergency Management site at https://rvem.org for evacuation updates. An interactive Fire First Response Map showing evacuation areas can also be found there.