Rattle Fire
Location: 6 miles NW of Toketee Falls, Douglas Co., OR
Specific Location: Boulder Creek, ~1 mi N of Hwy 138, Umpqua NF ~Lat 43° 20´ ~Lon 122° 29´
Date of Origin: 08/17/2008 (First official report 8/24)
Cause: lightning
Rattle Fire now incorporated into the North Fork Complex [here].
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Situation as of 08/24/2008 6:00 AM
Personnel: not reported
Size: 150 acres
Percent contained:0%
Operational plans for today call for turning the fire over to the Type 2 IMT at North Fork Fire (Batten-IC)
This is a complex of existing fires around the Toketee Falls area. Estimate 47 fires for approximately 30 acres. The Rattle Fire experienced significant growth on 8/23 because both the Umpqua NF and the Batten IMT failed to contain it with initial attack, and it is now a separate incident.
The Rattle Fire is partially within the Boulder Creek Wilderness, a pocket mini-wilderness.
by bear bait
The Boulder Wilderness is essentially a chimney from the North Umpqua highway north to the top of the divide separating the Umpqua from the upper Willamette River above Oakridge. The top quarter or more of the wilderness was burned in the last 10 years, and is a sea of standing white snags. Any kind of southerly wind will run it up and over, although at the top there are noble fir and some wet meadows. It is benchy country, with rock walls and some huge sugar pines. The last fire killed about every tree of every age where it burned.
We all have to remember that any Umpqua Natl Forest fire is on 985,000 acres that has had logged, in total, less than 50 million board feet in the last 15 years. In the meantime, the Umpqua NF has had several fires over 50,000 acres in non-roadless areas. The fuel loads are huge due to ingrowth, windfalls, and bug kill.