The Happy Camp/Slater Fire continues to slowly spread in all directions, moderated by cool, moist weather in low-lying areas. The Devil Fire is estimated at 4,149 acres. The Slater Fire is estimated at 126,333 acres, according to the last infrared flight.
Both fires are still zero percent contained, burning mainly in timber, logging slash and brush as winds Sunday were blowing 15 miles per hour on ridgetops. The Devil Fire remains unstaffed, however, Team 10 is scouting containment opportunities and additional firefighting resources are on order.
Highway 199 remains closed from O’Brien south almost to Gasquet. Highway 96 remains closed from Portuguese Creek to Clear Creek.
Near Gasquet, crews focused on structure protection and scouting for areas to engage. Firefighters continued to prepare and hold the Knopki Road to protect the town of Gasquet. Crews also identified additional contingency lines east of town. Not much movement was observed on the Southwest edge as the fire is currently hung up at Oregon Mountain Road and backing into Knopki Creek.
Fire activity around Happy Camp has now significantly moderated, with humidity damping down fire activity along the fire perimeter there. The town remains in mop-up and patrol status, with crews falling hazard trees and power companies working diligently to restore infrastructure so that displaced residents can return as soon as it’s safe.
The Slater Fire has now backed down to Highway 96 near Seattle Creek, where firefighters have built handline to limit fire growth potential and keep the fire north of the highway. The Slater Fire is currently eight to ten miles from Williams, Oregon. Firefighting resources are scouting for the best places to put in direct, indirect and contingency lines to protect communities in this area. Firefighters are preparing Oregon Caves National Monument to protect it from the Slater Fire.
A firing operation is planned to strengthen an indirect line protecting residences north of Happy Camp along the Highway 96 corridor, creating a solid containment line along the highway. Meanwhile, protection is underway around structures and utilities from Thompson Creek east (and downriver) to Fort Goff. Firefighters are also performing prep work from China Creek to Thompson Creek in case the fire arrives there.
Winds out of the east have caused smoke impacts from the Slater and Devil Fires that have extended to the coast. Smoke continues to impact most of the west coast due to multiple large fires and the inversion could begin mixing up into the atmosphere.
