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Forecast rains expected to moderate wildfire activity

wildland firefighters cutting trees in a forest
U.S. Forest Service
Wildland firefighters clearing trees and vegetation to create a fuel break on the Middle Fork Fire north of Crater Lake, August 22, 2024.

The National Weather Service is forecasting between a half and one inch of rain across the region through Friday. Cooler temperatures are also expected.

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.

鈥淚t鈥檚 gonna help moderate it, decrease any potential fire spread, like if it was a much drier condition," he said. "So, it鈥檚 gonna help out the conditions, but by no means is it gonna be able to just put it out in the next couple days.鈥

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.

Roman Battaglia is a regional reporter for 老夫子传媒. After graduating from Oregon State University, Roman came to JPR as part of the Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism in 2019. He then joined Delaware Public Media as a Report For America fellow before returning to the JPR newsroom.