Firefighters are continuing to battle the lightning-caused Diamond Complex in eastern Douglas County.
According to Public Information Officer Darren McMillin, this week's rain will bring welcome relief to fire crews.
“It’s gonna help moderate it, decrease any potential fire spread, like if it was a much drier condition," he said. "So, it’s gonna help out the conditions, but by no means is it gonna be able to just put it out in the next couple days.”
McMillin said if the rain becomes too heavy, it could become dangerous for teams to head into the rough, hilly terrain of the Umpqua National Forest.
Crews have made significant progress on the Diamond Complex, bringing total containment to 53% as of Thursday. Twenty-three of the 29 fires in that group are now fully contained.
The Middle Fork Fire, managed by the same crew that's working on the Diamond Complex, is burning in Crater Lake National Park, northwest of the lake. It's 0% contained and stands at 5,244 acres. Firefighters are working cautiously in the area because of the risk of falling dead trees from previous fires in 2015 and 2017.
The coming rain is expected to help other firefighting efforts too, including the Boise Fire in Humboldt and Siskiyou counties near the community of Orleans. Hot and sunny weather will return on Monday, so this weekend could be a chance for firefighters to make progress with containment.
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