The Chetco Bar Fire was a wildfire in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness , Oregon , United States . The fire, which was caused by a lightning strike and first reported on July 12, 2017. It burned 191,125 acres (773 km) as of November 4, when it was declared 100% contained. The Chetco Bar Fire area is subject to warm, dry winds known as the Brookings effect (also known as Chetco Effect), driven by high pressure over the Great Basin . The fire re-burned portions of the 2002 Biscuit Fire and the 1987 Silver Fire . The fire directly impacted communities surrounding it, causing mandatory evacuations.
21-515: The Chetco Bar Fire was started by a lightning strike in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness near the Chetco River . It was reported on July 12, 2017 at 1:45 PM. By July 15, it was primarily burning in the scar of the 2002 Biscuit Fire and had only burned 45 acres (0 km). At this time, fire crews expressed concerns about accessing the fire due to difficult and dangerous terrain. By July 20, it
42-540: A Yokosuka E14Y "Glen" seaplane piloted by Nubuo Fujita , who dropped incendiary bombs on Mount Emily in an unsuccessful attempt to start a major forest fire . This made Mount Emily the second place in the continental United States to be bombed by an enemy aircraft, with Dutch Harbor occurring three months earlier in Unalaska, Alaska . The site of the bombing was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as
63-452: A decline in water storage, which increases the likelihood of flooding. Coho salmon habitats have seen increases in debris. Regarding human risk, BAER reported concerns with roads and rivers, streams and creeks. 136 miles of roads received fire treatment, including debris removal and repairing water culverts. 18.5 miles of trails received fire treatment, primarily to assist with water drainage. Recreational sites saw signage placement for warning
84-693: Is a mountain in the Klamath Mountains of southwestern Oregon in the United States . It is located in southern Curry County in the extreme southwest corner of the state, near Brookings , approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) from the Pacific Ocean and 5 miles (8.0 km) from the California state line. On September 9, 1942, the Japanese submarine I-25 surfaced near Cape Blanco , Oregon, and launched
105-540: The Biscuit Fire that burned much of the area and damaged many of the hiking trails. Some of the trails destroyed in the fire re-opened in 2015. Elevations in Kalmiopsis Wilderness range from 500 to 5,098 feet (152 to 1,554 m), at Pearsoll Peak. The area is characterized by deep, rough canyons, sharp rock ridges, and clear, rushing mountain streams and rivers. The wilderness includes the headwater basins of
126-643: The Chetco , North Fork Smith Rivers, as well as part of the Illinois River canyon. All three of these rivers have been designated Wild and Scenic . The Kalmiopsis Wilderness is part of the Klamath Mountain geologic province of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. The eastern half is part of the Josephine "ultramafic" sheet, meaning it has a very high iron and magnesium content. The western half of
147-473: The United States Congress in 1964 and now comprises a total of 179,755 acres (72,744 ha). There are approximately 153 miles (246 km) of trails on 24 established hiking trails in the area. The Kalmiopsis Wilderness was named for Kalmiopsis leachiana , a slow-growing plant related to the rhododendron , which was discovered in the area in 1930. Historically , the Kalmiopsis Wilderness
168-530: The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 . [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of Agriculture . Kalmiopsis Wilderness Kalmiopsis Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Klamath Mountains of southwestern Oregon , within the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest . It was designated wilderness by
189-684: The Chetco River 3 miles up the North Bank Chetco River Road from Social Security Bar to the Wilderness Retreat area. Another mandatory evacuation was put in place, on August 21, for areas between Highway 101 and Carpenterville Road, north to the Pistol River . Six days later, on August 24, the fire had burned 102,333 acres (414 km), burning in steep and rugged terrain about five miles north of Brookings, Oregon . The smoke from
210-888: The Quail Prairie Mountain Lookout and a prehistoric Native American site. The Chetco Bar Fire's impacts on wildlife has been reported as "high" in the Eagle Creek area of the Chetco River. Forest wide, 26 nest patches of northern spotted owls were impacted with 85 percent sustaining moderate to high burn intensities. 37 percent of suitable marbled murrelet nesting habitat was burned at moderate to high severity. BAER reported concerns with municipal water supplies in Brookings and Harbor, primarily with intakes experiencing channel scour during high peak flow events. Port of Brookings Harbor experienced increased debris and sediment during winter 2017. It also impacted local viewing of
231-579: The Wilderness is underlain by the sedimentary rocks of the Dothan formation and by the igneous intrusive rocks of the Big Craggies. Most of the rocks in this province were formerly parts of the oceanic crust, and include serpentine , submarine volcanic flow rocks, intrusive granite-like rocks, and sedimentary rocks such as shale and sandstone . Historic mine sites for gold and chromite can still be found in
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#1733084652897252-504: The creation of public use restrictions on fires in the area. By August 9, three additional trails were closed and on August 12, additional use restrictions were put in place regarding campfires and smoking. On August 19, the fire, in Brookings effect wind, had spread 22,042 acres (89 km) and the first mandatory evacuations were put in place - for the top of Gardner Ridge Road and Cate Road past Hazel Camp area, Wilson Creek area, and along
273-645: The fire began impacting visibility along Highway 101 and creating dramatic hazes in Gold Beach and in Brookings. By August 30, the National Guard had joined the fire fighting efforts. Entering September, the fire continued to burn with mandatory evacuations being put in place all residents on Illinois River Road within US Forest Service Boundaries, including the Oak Flat community. As of September 10,
294-412: The fire was at 182,284 acres (738 km) and was 5% contained. The fire had spread into Curry County . In Josephine County, crews began structure assessments of the communities of O'Brien , Cave Junction , and Selma . Governor Kate Brown , US Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke , Senator Ron Wyden , Major General Michael Stencel, and House Representative Peter DeFazio visited the fire camp. The fire
315-513: The form of cabin sites, mines, and ditches. Diversity of topography and geology provide excellent habitat for a wide variety of botanical species. The Kalmiopsis leachiana plant was discovered in 1930 by Lilla Leach in the Gold Basin area. The plant is a relict of the pre-ice age and the oldest member of the Ericaceae Family, and is the namesake of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. In 2002,
336-477: The nearly 500,000-acre (200,000 ha) Biscuit Fire burned the entire wilderness area. The environment has changed dramatically and provides a unique opportunity to observe a natural response to fire disturbance through plant succession, erosional and depositional occurrences and changed habitat for flora and fauna. The Chetco Bar Fire re-burned large portions of the area in 2017. Wheeler Ridge Japanese Bombing Site Mount Emily ( Tolowa : en-may )
357-461: The probability of damage and loss of soil resources is "very high and high," due to the high soil burn severity in 1,621 acres (7 km) and substantial loss of stored carbon, which serves as the long term nutrient supply for vegetation and microfauna. Geological hazards are also of concern, including rock falls, landslides, debris flows , slope failures, and soil erosion. Hillslopes have lost much of their overstory, ground cover, and roughness causing
378-515: The public about safety concerns, tree removal, hazardous waste clean up and some properties have been closed. The highest concern recreation areas are SF Chetco, Mineral Hill Fork Creeks, Eagle Creek and Panther Creek. Cultural values were found to be at risk after the fire, with heritage sites experiencing low to high intensity effects to the surrounding vegetation. Sites impacted include the Wheeler Ridge Japanese Bombing Site ,
399-421: Was a mining district. Gold was discovered about 1850, causing a gold rush into the area. A number of mining towns were built and more than a dozen hard rock mines were started. Many people lived there up into the mid-1940s. In 1962, many of the homes and stores were still habitable and all the mining equipment and buildings were still in place. The wilderness area was established in 1964. In 2002, lightning started
420-485: Was announced as being 100% contained on November 2. The Checto Bar Post-Fire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team completed their evaluation of the fire's impact on October 11, 2017. The Chetco Bar Fire damaged over 191,000 acres (773 km) of land, the majority of which was US Forest Service land and private land. The fires burned 190 acres (1 km) of redwood tree stands, with 6 acres (0 km) being 75 to 100 percent completely destroyed. BAER reported that
441-399: Was determined that the fire had actually burned over 300 acres (1 km). Up until this day, the crews were not using technology to gather acreage data, but estimates. As a precautionary response, the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest closed select forest service roads and trails. As of August 2, the fire had expanded to 2,907 acres (12 km). Fears of an upcoming heatwave led to
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