End of Fire Season on Umpqua National Forest
Incident: Rattle Wildland Fire
Released: 10/17/2008
ROSEBURG, OR - October 17, 2008 - Fire managers declared the end of the 2008 fire season on the Umpqua National Forest by lifting all fire restrictions as of October 16. Industrial fire precaution restrictions are no longer in effect.
The 2008 fire season included 116 fires which burned about 23,000 acres. All but 12 were lightning-caused fires. Of those, nine were started by abandoned campfires, which still have the potential of escaping during the cooler days of fall.
During the season, 115 fires were suppressed. The Rattle Fire began on August 17th in the Boulder Creek Wilderness and is 90 percent contained. According to fire managers, it will take appreciable rain or snow on the fire to be considered controlled.
Boulder Flat Campground has reopened through October 31st after being temporarily closed during the Rattle Fire.
People walking in the area near the Boulder Creek Wilderness or driving roads near the Rattle Fire are advised that trees with heat in them are still coming across lines and roads. Please obey the highway signs and avoid parking where cones are in place to avoid the danger of trees and rocks coming down on your vehicle.
For more information about the fire season or the Rattle Fire, visit www.fs.fed.us/r6/umpqua.
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