TYEE RIDGE COMPLEX AT 2,900 ACRES, 5 PERCENT CONTAINED

August 30, 2023 4:10 a.m.

The Tyee Ridge Complex is at 2,900 acres and 5 percent contained, burning 20 miles northwest of Roseburg.

An update from the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 1 and the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Team said resources continued to arrive on Tuesday, with just under 1,100 people engaged on the fires. Aircraft assisted with water and retardant drops, supporting ground operations in areas of steep or inaccessible terrain. Two Very Large Tankers from Medford provided retardant drops on ridges on the Lighthouse 3 Fire. To the north, crews increased mop-up on the Big Tom, Hardscrabble, Blue Hole, and Yellow Point fires. Tactical firing operations also helped improve line on the Big Tom. Moving these fires toward patrol status will aid the overall effort by allowing resources to focus on the more active fires to the south.

Fire behavior became very active in the afternoon on the Lighthouse and Cougar Creek fires with spotting, slopovers, and uphill runs. Thermal belts, or pockets of warmer air over the fires, contributed to this activity. ODF wildland fire resources responded, including helicopters, single engine air tankers, heavy equipment and hand crews. They built and reinforced line, and engaged in initial attack on spots and slopovers. Two OSFM task forces worked around structures, installing sprinkler kits at the Lighthouse Center and along Hubbard Creek Road.

All evacuation notices issued by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office remain unchanged. View the current shelter evacuation map at: www.dcso.com/evacuations. The Red Cross shelter for evacuees remains open at The Way Church on East Central Avenue in Sutherlin.

Tyee Ridge Complex updates are available at: https://www.facebook.com/tyeeridgecomplex