Number of fires in Rogue River-Siskiyou Forest grows

Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest, Ore. — In a matter of seconds Thursday afternoon, black smoke could be seen over the horizon, near the Oregon-California border. It is a sign,wildfires are growing out of control.

And, smoke from nearly 80 other fires could be seen in every which direction.

Brandon Nelson is one of many firefighters trying to battle the blazes.

“We’re putting line around it, we’ve got that completed. Following some snags, and putting some water on it, and trying to get it wrapped up and move onto the next one,” Nelson said.

Some of the fires are so remote and the terrain so steep, it’s difficult for crews to get to.

Smoke jumpers could even be seen leaping from planes.

“Iit’s rather steep, so containment’s tough. We got to keep it from continuing to roll down the hill. So, right now it’s going well but one roller could mean the difference.”

In fact moments after i finished my interview with nelson and turned off the camera, a snag could be heard falling down.

Besides crews are on the ground, there are a number of planes and helicopters also attacking the blazes.

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