August 2, 2023 11:00 a.m. 

The Flat Fire in Curry County has grown to over 29,000 acres and now is twenty-eight percent contained.

An update from Northwest Incident Management Team 3 said on Tuesday, helicopters again used aerial ignition to achieve additional depth from the containment line further into the unburned interior near Game Lake. This was also done in the southwest corner of the fire in the Lawson Creek drainage to fire off ridges and burnout down slopes to work towards containment in this area. This strategy heads off the main fire toward the prepared fire line under more favorable and controlled conditions.

Firefighters directed helicopter bucket drops of water on areas of increased heat interior to the containment line along the northeast and along a portion of the eastern fire perimeter. These actions helped to hold and secure the existing containment line and check fire spread respectively in those areas.

On Tuesday, crews located and quickly contained six small spot fires just off Forest System Road 401, as fire lines were tested by localized winds. Night-shift resources held and patrolled fire line.

Wednesday, firefighters plan to use aerial resources to gain additional fire line depth between the western and eastern portions of Forest System Road 2680 in the Lawson Creek drainage. Aerial interior burning will also continue in the Game Lake area as time and conditions allow. Fuels removal will continue from vegetation cut in preparing fire line along the western containment lines. The western and northern containment lines, from the junction of Forest System Road 3680 and 3318 to Wildhorse Lookout east to Forest System Road 3577 is being actively mopped up and patrolled.

The Flat Fire is listed at 29,387 acres. 1,419 personnel are assigned to the fire.

More information is available at: https://www.facebook.com/flatfireoregon2023