A break in the weather helps crews at the North Fork fire
By Tom AdamsGLIDE, Ore. - Firefighters are getting a break in the battle against a tough wildfire in Douglas County. Officials say the North Fork fire, northeast of Glide, is holding at 450 acres. It turns out just a little rain is giving crews a chance at a direct attack. This is Day 6 of the North Fork fire in Douglas County. It may still be August, but it certainly feels like fall. That change in the weather is coming at just the right time. However, at the camp helibase outside of Glide, the only thing flying are the kestrels. The cloud cover has grounded the helicopters because the ceiling is only about 2,500 feet. "That's OK for us to go out and fly, but we don't know what it's like over there on the fire," said Travis Thomas. Thomas, a chopper pilot from Chandler, Ariz., said this comes with the territory. "We can carry up to nine personnel," Thomas said as he showed off his Bell 205 helicopter. He's flown these fire missions for over 20 years. "The visibility and the ceiling can change within five minutes," he said. "It could be a good or a bad thing, with the wind blowing a little." But what's bad news for the pilots is better news for the crews on the ground. Credit the higher humidity and rain. "Except it's grounded the aircraft but we'll take the water from the sky as opposed to from the aircraft--and see where it goes," said Deputy Incident Commander Nick Lunde. Commander Lunde said the North Fork fire is not growing. "So the crews are able to get right in next to it," he said. "What we call 'one foot in the black'--so they're able to build line right next to the fire." On a day like this, it takes just a few degrees of cooling to raise the spirits of the base camp. "Morale is good here," Lunde said. "People are working hard and having fun doing it." Firefighters are not taking this blaze lying down because they know they have many days of tough work ahead. The North Fork is projected for containment later this month but is one of several fires burning in Oregon.
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