The Associated Press
GOLD BEACH, Ore.- Nearly 1,800 firefighters fought the 7,729-acre Blossom fire 25 miles northeast of Gold Beach Monday. The lightning-caused fire closed a portion of the Rogue River to rafters.
Three fires broke out the night of July 21, and two have been controlled. The Blossom Fire was 20 percent contained Sunday with full containment expected Aug. 22 if wind and weather cooperate.
It nearly doubled in size between Wednesday and Friday.
Jere Mills of the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center said some of the burned area was from burnout operations designed to control the spread.
She said a major concern Monday was that the fire might jump the Rogue River.
On Saturday, fire crawled down Mule Mountain toward the Rogue River.
State crews established a fire camp near Glendale north of Grants Pass.
Crews have struggled with day temperatures in the high 90s to 100 and low nightly humidity.
On Thursday, the Marial Lodge and the Rogue River Ranch were evacuated when fire came within a mile of their grounds.
Flames jumped fire lines Thursday, forcing the Bureau of Land Management to close the Rogue River between Grave Creek and Marial to all traffic.
Also closed are the Rogue River National Recreation Trail between Grave Creek and Clay Hill Creek and roads leading to Tucker Flat and the Rogue River Ranch.
The fire has affected businesses that make most of their money from people taking August vacations on the river.
The Wild and Scenic area of the Rogue River, which the ODF closed Thursday, is one of the more popular vacation spots in Oregon.
Noah Hague, the owner of Noah’s River Adventures, said this point in the summer is “prime time” for rafting businesses such as his. “August is the busiest part of the year for us,” he said. "(Closing the river) also affects our crews’ employment.”
The ODF told Hague that the river could open again in 10 days. But that depends on the course of the fire.
Meanwhile Hague will provide customers with alternative river trips throughout the Rogue Valley.
Lori Cameron, owner of the Marial Lodge, left with all of her guests Wednesday night as hot ash fell onto lawns and rooftops.
“We would love to be open, but there’s no choice.”
Her husband remains at the lodge, defending his property by spraying down all buildings and the lawn with a water hose.
In Wallowa County the Tryon Complex fire had spread to nearly 41,000 acres Monday, much of it in grass and steep timbered canyons. It is 25 percent contained.