Gov. Kotek declares conflagration for 73k acre Smith River Complex

JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. – Incident Management for the Smith River Complex in California and Oregon says the fire has grown to 73,799 acres with 7% containment.

Officials say ground crews were working on tactical firing along the 4402 road west of Gillian Butte to protect buildings in the O’Brien and Illinois River Valley.

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.

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

Level 1 “Get Ready” evacuations are in place north to Cave Junction.

A Red Cross shelter has been set up at Rogue Community College in Grants Pass. Anyone who needs to get out of the smoke is also welcome at the shelter.

Livestock can be sheltered at the Josephine County Fairgrounds.

Incident management says while heavy smoke has stopped helicopters from helping with suppression efforts for several days, drones equipped with infrared sensors have located several small spot fires not visible through the smoke.

You can find a map showing evacuation areas on the Rogue Valley Emergency Management site.

Gov. Tina Kotek has invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the Smith River Complex, allowing the Oregon State Fire Marshall to mobilize resources to protect life and property.

The OSFM says it is mobilizing more firefighters, equipment, and an incident management team to provide protection for homes threatened by the Smith River Complex.

The OSFM says its Blue Incident Management Team will assume unified command of the Smith River Complex Tuesday morning.