UPDATE: TUESDAY, JUNE 1 AT 7:30 PM
Firefighters continue to make progress on the Sycan River and Yellow Jacket fires in Klamath County near Beatty.
The Sycan River Fire, burning about 20 miles north of Beatty, is now 30 percent contained and 100 percent lined. The total acreage is 615 acres due to more accurate mapping.
Firefighters all around the fire have made progress securing the fire’s edge and mop-up activities.
Tomorrow’s day shift will have approximately 150 personnel. No aviation resources were used on the fire today.
The evacuation on the Sycan River Fire has been lowered to a Level 1 (Get Ready) for the Sycan Estates per the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office.
The Yellow Jacket Fire, burning about 4 miles south of Beatty, is holding at 34 acres and is 50 percent contained.
Crews worked to mop-up the fire’s perimeter and extinguish hot spots along the fire edge today.
There are no evacuations for the Yellow Jacket Fire.
For the latest evacuation information, visit https://www.facebook.com/KlamathCountyGov. To sign up
for Klamath County alerts, visit http://alerts.klamathcounty.org.
Forest Road 27 remains closed from the intersection with Forest Road 30 north to the intersection with Forest Road 46. This closure is for firefighter and public safety. This is the only road closure associated with fire in the area. However, drivers should be prepared for increased fire traffic in the area and aware of their surroundings. This includes large equipment on narrow Forest roads and traffic on area highways.
Klamath County Emergency Management
em.klamathcounty.org
Fremont-Winema National Forest
www.fs.usda.gov/fremont-winema
Oregon Department of Forestry
www.oregon.gov/odf
The National Weather Service in Medford has issued a Red Flag Warning in effect tomorrow from 2 to 9 p.m. for abundant lightning on dry fuels in South Central Oregon. Thunderstorms are predicted to be moving from the southwest to northeast.
UPDATE: TUESDAY, JUNE 1 AT 11AM
The Sycan River Fire is 679 acres and 10% contained. About 85 percent of the fire is lined.
The Yellow Jacket Fire is 34 acres and 20% contained. US Forest Service officials say it's fully lined and fire crews have started to mop up. Last night fire crews started removing hazard trees burning in the fire’s interior.
The Level 2 Evacuation for Sycan Forest Estates remains in place. There are no evacuations for the Yellow Jacket Fire.
Forest Road 27 remains closed between Forest Road 30 north to Forest Road 46.
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UPDATE: MONDAY, MAY 31 AT 5:30PM
Firefighters were able to get the Sycan River Fire near the unincorporated town of Beatty up to 80% containment.
But another fire broke out near the same town Monday afternoon, according to Tamara Schmidt of the US Forest Service.
The Yellow Jacket Fire is burning 4 miles south of Beatty on public and private lands. It's about 20 acres large with no containment.
The Yellow Jacket Fire is nearing some structures, but there are currently no evacuation orders in place.
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UPDATED MONDAY, MAY 31 12PM
Some residents in Klamath County received evacuation warnings Sunday night because of a wind-driven wildfire.
The Sycan River Fire is burning in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, about 20 miles north of the unincorporated town of Beatty.
As of Monday the fire was about 650 acres with 80% containment. The cause is under investigation.
About five acres of private wildlands are in the fire area, with the remaining lands on the Fremont-Winema National Forest.
Officials say firefighters made progress progress on the fire overnight, with an estimated 80 percent of the fire lined and successful burnout operations took place.
Crews are focusing on the southern side of the fire today to strengthen protection for nearby private lands.
Personnel and equipment deployed on the fire include engines, fire crews, dozers, water tenders and aerial resources from federal and state agencies and contractors. The South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership (SCOFMP) Type 3 Team took over management of the Sycan River Fire this morning.
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 2 “Get Set” evacuation warning Sunday night for a residential area called the Sycan Forest Estates.
Forest Road 27 is closed between Forest Roads 30 and 46. Drivers in the area should also watch for increased fire traffic.
County leaders and the American Red Cross set up a temporary evacuation point at Gearhart Elementary School in Bly.
For the latest evacuation information, visit Klamath County’s official Facebook page.
This is the second wildfire that caused evacuation warnings in Southern Oregon over the weekend. The East Antelope Road Fire near White City caused the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office to set up roadblocks and issue Level 2 (Get Set) evacuations.
Those evacuation warnings were lowered to Level 1 (Get Ready) by Sunday, when the fire was fully contained. It burned about 50 acres.
