September 3, 2022 10:00 a.m.

The Rum Creek Fire, burning in Josephine County, is now at 18,385 acres and 17 percent contained.

An update from Northwest Incident Management Team 13 said a cold front moved past the fire late on Friday, bringing gusty winds. These winds were strongest on the ridges and in drainages with a west-east alignment, with gusts recorded up to 25 miles per hour. The fire stayed within the preliminary fire lines except for two spot fires, near Crawford House by Galice and west of McKnabe Creek. Firefighters attacked those fires and kept them small. Saturday, aircraft will use infrared imaging to search for additional spot fires.

The update said on the west, crews have completed strategic burning on over half of the line between Mount Peavine and the Rogue River to the north. The work continued until midnight Friday when the relative humidity increased. At that point, fine fuels like grasses and brush absorbed enough moisture and would not burn well. Firing will continue Saturday when fuel and weather conditions are appropriate.

Office of the State Fire Marshal personnel continue to mop up remaining hot spots near structures and are patrolling areas along Galice Road for possible spot fires caused by wind blown embers. Firefighters are working on structure assessment and pre-planning in areas southeast of the fire.