August 5, 2021 4:20 a.m. 

The Devil’s Knob Complex of fires is burning in south Douglas County.

An update from Northwest Incident Management Team 8 said the complex is a grouping of 43 lightning caused fires, with the majority burning in the Tiller Ranger District on the Umpqua National Forest.  The complex is now listed at 400 acres.

Fire managers spent the majority of the day on Wednesday connecting with firefighters on the ground and gathering information on each fire to develop a plan of suppression actions. Firefighters continued to make progress on many of the fires. Several fires have continued to grow while others have been lined and mopped up. Three fires on the upper end of Forest Service Road 2950 and in the Bald Ridge area have been declared contained. Several fires remain unstaffed due to a lack of resources.

The Wildcat Fire is burning near structures in the Cow Creek drainage and is moving up Red Mountain. The update said this fire is the priority for firefighters who are working diligently to secure the area and protect homes. Firefighting resources from the Oregon Department of Forestry, Douglas Forest Protective Association and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest have been providing assistance to local and contracted resources.

The update said conditions in the forest are very dry. Any spark has a very high probability of starting a new fire.