Overnight, strong winds pushed the fire further to the south and west. The fire is now estimated to cover 91,551 acres. Atmospheric conditions are expected to ease in the next few days as a different weather pattern rolls in. The air quality will be considered moderate. For those in sensitive groups such as people with heart or lung disease, children, pregnant women and older adults, the air outside may be unhealthy.
Evacuation orders remain the same overnight. The Sheriff’s Office issued an additional mandatory evacuation (Level 3) order, yesterday, that includes the area from the junction of Hwy 101 and Carpenterville Rd. north to the Pistol River, and east to the previous Level 3 evacuation areas. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to evaluate the need for additional evacuation orders as necessary to protect public safety. The Red Cross is staffing an emergency evacuation shelter at Riley Creek Elementary in Gold Beach 94350 6th St. Gold Beach, OR.
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Sunday, August 20th saw the Chetco Bar Fire double in size as it grew from a reported 31,000 acres on Saturday, to approximately 70,000 acres by the end of Sunday. Mandatory evacuations were staged throughout the day extending down the Chetco River to within 3 miles of Highway 101 by mid day.
After strong winds from the east for most of the day on Sunday, the fire spread quickly from the Gardner Ridge area towards the Pistol River area. This rapid increase in size prompted the closure of Carpenterville Road (Oregon Highway 255) by ODOT to all but local residents and emergency crews south of Pistol River and north of Brookings due to upgraded mandatory evacuations.
Also on Sunday, four task forces were assigned to the burgeoning wildfire, including fire crews from as far away as Medford and Ashland. Throughout the day on Sunday, confusion and uncertainty reigned as residents struggled for reliable official information and relied on social media sources. As a result, many residents were left with unreliable and in some cases unfounded information resulting in confusion and ambiguous claims. However, the affected communities did get an abundance of critical information from local residents and social media quickly. Thanks from the entire community should go to all the citizens and organizations that came together to offer whatever assistance they could.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal stated that early Sunday morning Governor Kate Brown declared the Chetco Bar Fire burning in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest near Brookings a conflagration. This official declaration allowed the state fire marshal to mobilize
firefighters and equipment to assist local resources battling the fire.
As of Sunday evening, approximately 1300 homes are under a Level 3 Evacuation notice, however, these numbers have changed rapidly over the last 48 hours and will likely continue to change as the weather and winds make it difficult to predict.
Local authorities have been working feverishly to organize resources in an effort to attack the advance of the wildfire. The latest update as of 9:35PM by Oregon State Representative David Brock Smith stated, “This fire is the number one priority for the State. There are currently 250 firefighters battling the blaze with 70 tankers. Five helicopters stand ready when the wind shifts to allow them to work, which is expected by noon tomorrow. Multiple air tankers are ready as well. There are 24 National Guards on scene, along with 30 State troopers, working with the Sheriff and Incident Command. More firefighter resources are being requested from outside the State.