Environment

Rum Creek Fire threatens more than 7,000 structures in Oregon

Oregon Public Broadcasting

Published August 30, 2022 at 4:10 PM PDT

This snapshot shows the size and location of the Rum Creek Fire on Aug. 30, 2022 in Southern Oregon on the U.S. Forest Service's Inciweb map.

Updated: September 1, 2022 at 10:05 AM PDT

Fire officials say the Rum Creek Fire in remote southwest Oregon continues to grow and is expected to remain active overnight into Thursday because of heat, low humidity and very dry fuels. Officials said the blaze has burned about 20 square miles since it was sparked by lightning Aug. 17 and was pushed by wind. The fire is burning on both sides of the Rogue River and is threatening houses and other structures in the towns of Galice and Rand. One home and two structures have been destroyed. Firefighters on Wednesday worked in locations where fire crossed lines that were built on the blaze's eastern edge. Read more from AP News.

The Rum Creek Fire in Josephine County has grown to nearly 12,000 acres and is only about 1% contained.

Officials say the fire has destroyed one home and two structures. As of Tuesday morning, it was threatening 5,035 homes and more than 2,600 other structures, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

High temperatures and shifting winds over the next few days are expected to increase the fire danger in the area.

Level 3 - Go Now evacuations are in place for dozens of homes near the cities of Rand and Galice. Level 1 and 2 evacuations are in place for some surrounding areas.

View the latest interactive Rum Creek Fire evacuation map

Over the weekend, Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency across Oregon due to the imminent threat of wildfire. An air quality alert is in effect through Thursday evening for most of Southwest Oregon, due to smoke from the Rum Creek Fire.

One firefighter, 25-year-old Logan Taylor, was killed while fighting the fire earlier this month.