September 4, 2022 2:50 p.m.

Containment is up to 27 percent on the Rum Creek Fire, burning in Josephine County.

The latest update from Northwest Incident Management Team 13 said firefighters are taking advantage of cooler, more humid weather to make progress.

Nearly the entire Rum Creek Fire is encircled by well-defined control lines. Natural fire spread or tactical firing operations have burned the fuels adjacent to these lines. Crews are mopping up burned areas near the fire’s edges, searching for any hidden pockets of heat that might flare up later and allow the fire to escape fire lines. All of these remaining hot spots must be extinguished to secure the fire edge.

Tactical firing will continue on the northeast side of the fire, where the fire is slowly progressing through the McKnabe Creek drainage. To the north and south, crews continue to mop up areas near Grave Creek and Stratton Creek

On Saturday, the Office of the State Fire Marshal began demobilizing task forces from the Rum Creek Fire. Two were assigned to other fires while the rest are returning to their home units. Other OSFM resources will remain on the fire for the next three shifts.