September 16, 2020 10:45 a.m.

Firefighters on the Archie Creek Fire continue to work in the Little River area with heavy machinery, engines and crews, to construct and hold containment lines.

The latest update from Northwest Incident Management Team 9 said structure protection resources remain in place along Little River Road. On the far eastern portion of the fire, crews are allowing the fire to slowly back down the hillside to Panther Creek where crews have prepared roads to hold the fire. Heading north from Highway 138E, firefighters are scouting and constructing both primary and secondary containment lines from the Canton Creek area into the Upper Rock Creek area. Containment lines form South Calapooya Creek down to Glide, continue to hold.

Suppression efforts on the fire were boosted Tuesday by the addition of 125 personnel from the Oregon National Guard. Those soldiers are working to hold containment lines around the perimeter of the fire, and mop-up hot spots near structures. 773 people are assigned to the blaze.

Air resources were grounded again on Tuesday due to safety concerns related to the thick smoke. Four helicopters and two single engine air tankers remain available for use when the smoke clears.

Winds Wednesday are likely to push the smoke from west to east, providing some relief to residents and firefighters. When smoke lifts, temperatures will rise and humidity will decrease leading to increased fire activity.

Highway 138E remains closed to the public from four miles east of Glide to the junction with US Highway 97. Crews continue to work on cleanup along the highway and other roads in the area.

The fire has burned 125,498 acres.