Four South Fork Forest Camp (SFFC) crews are returned August 6, 2026 after deploying for 14 days to help battle the 15,580-acre East Evans Creek Fire in southern Oregon. The 10-person adults in custody crews, who are led and trained by ODF staff, have been performing labor-intensive mop-up operations. The wildland firefighters extinguish residual fire and prevent rekindling near control lines by cooling ash pits to maintain a fireline during mop-up. They also do cold-trailing where firefighters use the back of their hands to feel the ground for any remaining heat near the fireline and put out those hot spots.
SFFC, a minimum-security facility in the middle of the Tillamook State Forest, is jointly run by the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon Department of Corrections. During fire season the SFFC crews are typically prepositioned in northwest Oregon; however, with size, number and intensity of wildfires this year they are deploying outside the region.
DOC staff provide security and administrative support while the AICs are in camp. The life and job skills and practical experience they learn at SFFC while on fires can lead to some making careers in firefighting afterwards with contactors or ODF.For more on South Fork Forest Camp see: https://www.oregon.gov/…/fore…/pages/rehabilitation.aspx
For more on wildfires see ODF’s news page at: https://oregonforestry.wpengine.com
