The Rum Creek Fire first reported Wednesday, August 17th, five miles northwest of Galice, OR, along the south banks of the Lower Rogue River, was very active in the past week, adding approximately 8,300 acres since Monday, August 29th, growing from the 10,700 acres reported after the fire added 9,000 acres between Friday August 26th and Monday, August 29th as reported by the Oregon Department of Forestry, to over 18,966 acres reported early Monday morning.
Fire has firmly established itself on both sides of the Rogue River from Grave Creek Bridge to Galice and as of the latest reports Sunday, is approximately 27% Contained. With over 2,098 fire crew personnel actively on the fire, the Fire has not progressed to the North of the Rogue River from Rum Creek to Grave Creek nor to the south from Galice to Indian Mary Park. In the West, progress has been checked from Galice to Bear Gulch and above Quartz Creek but is still burning freely towards indirect line in the Rum Creek Drainage.
The ‘cold front’ that came through Saturday, brought increased moisture, and cooler temperatures. North of the Rogue River, dozer lines have been constructed in the area of the Dad’s Creek Fire, and structure protection efforts continues in Galice, Hog Creek, Grave Creek and other communities at risk. Additional triage and surface preparation continues as a precaution for homes along the east side of the fire including Leland, Hugo Road and Quartz Creek Road. Mop up is occurring in areas of affected structures in Galice and Alameda Bar.
Earlier in the week, after determining that landing a helicopter was not possible, river guides spent 28 hours transporting a hotshot crews by raft to get to the nearest lodge, while another picked up a hotshot crew that connected dozer lines down the river also needed to be rafted out of the burn area.
Official reports are that one residence and two other structures have been destroyed as additional task forces continue scouting homes and focusing on fire protection.
