News: Fire threatens Happy Camp - July 17th

MailTribune.com: Fire threatens Happy Camp:

Photo-Happy Camp rafting company owner Joe Cote Giera says he is packed and ready to go if the Elk Complex fire moves a few miles closer to his home on the Klamath River. The fire has burned 5,000 acres so far.
Credit: Bob Pennell

Damian Mann
Crews managed to prevent any structures from burning Monday as they battled flames in steep terrain outside the N. California community

By Damian Mann
Mail Tribune
July 17, 2007

HAPPY CAMP, CALIF. — Firefighters struggled Monday to contain an almost 5,000-acre blaze in the remote Klamath National Forest that has threatened this small town.

'This is a very steep forest,' said Scott Swanson, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 'Our primary objective is to prevent it from getting to this town.'"Five residences along Elk Creek Road had to be evacuated over the weekend, but Swanson said no structures have been burned. Some 300 homes and 200 other structures remain threatened.

The fire, located about 60 miles to the west of Yreka, is 15 percent contained and Swanson said the steep terrain is preventing a direct assault on the fire.

Crews created fire breaks and burned off the thick underbrush of poison oak and small trees so the advancing fire couldn't reach Happy Camp or other home sites along the way.

The Elk Complex wildland fire is actually a collection of fires 100 miles southwest of Medford that were set by dry lightning last week. Closer to Yreka, another set of fires, known as the China-back Complex, has burned almost 2,500 acres. Smoke from the fires has drifted up into the Rogue Valley over the past few days.

Nervous residents in Happy Camp watched helicopters scooping water out of the Klamath River to douse the flames on ridgetops and canyons.

"Sometimes they dip right in front of our house," said Becca Cote Giera, who owns Rogue Country Rafting along with her husband, Joe Cote Giera.

The Gieras' business is located along the Klamath River, so they feel fairly safe. However, they've made precautions in case the fire comes too close.

"We're all packed and ready to go," said Joe.

From his vantage point, he said he's surprised the fire has crept toward his home.

"I know there's a lot of fires, but this is a priority with the town so close," he said. "Usually something this close to town, they've got to stomp on it."

Joe said many of the locals have their own opinions about the handling of the fire and figure more could have been done.

"They could have put this out a couple of days ago," he said.

But his wife added that the terrain was steep, making it more difficult to fight.

The couple has seen their business drop in the usually busy month as tourists cancel their rafting trips.

"I'm hoping it doesn't hurt business too much," said Becca, who has more rafting trips scheduled for later this week. The couple said that despite the fire, they can still take people down the river.

About a mile away from the Gieras' house, teams of soot-covered firefighters cut trees and brush as they attempted to make an effective ring around the fire.

Sarah Harrison, a firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service, has been battling the fire since early Saturday morning. She was keeping a close eye on fellow firefighter Brandon Osanna, who was burning underbrush across a dirt road. Other firefighters braved thick smoke farther up into the forest as they also burned off vegetation.

"We're watching it," said Harrison. "We want to keep them OK."

Harrison was one of the few women on the line, but didn't mind working with mostly men.

"I pick on them more than they pick on me," she said.

About 1,200 firefighters and other support personnel are on hand to deal with the fire, said Swanson. He said the complex is made up of 32 different fires.

Six firefighters have received treatment for minor injuries, including poison oak and bee stings.

Swanson said light winds Monday blew the fire away from town.

He said firefighters have bumped into wild animals, particularly deer, as they tromp through the woods away from the flames.

On Monday morning, he was driving about 15 mph down a road when a bear shot out in front of him.

"It scared me," he said. "I wasn't expecting a bear to run down."