JoCo Sheriff's Office, SAR Locate Body believed to be Missing Rafter
A body, believed to be a missing rafter, was recovered by Josephine County Sheriff's deputies and Search and Rescue personnel. The 911 dispatch center received a message August 4th at 1:16 p.m. from a Garmin GPS device stating there was a rafting accident at Wildcat Rapid in the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River. The caller was unable to locate the rafter, 65-year-old Reid Litwack. It was reported he was in an inflatable raft when it got pinned in the rapid and was swept underwater. The next morning at 5:30 a.m., deputies and BLM personnel made their way out to the rafters’ location. The party was able to hike themselves out of the area. Between the time of the initial report and the rescue, Reid never resurfaced. Friday, August 7th, at 11:14 a.m., dispatch was alerted to an unrelated rafting party that had discovered a body in the river downstream from the initial incident. Deputies, SAR, and BLM began a recovery mission attempting to find the body Markers left to assist them were no longer there and after an extensive search of the area, they were unable to locate the body.
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Fork State Park Fire 40% Contained, Estimated at 11 Acres, Mop-Up Continues
Overnight crews pushed containment on the Fork State Park Fire to 40% while completing mop-up 75 feet into the blaze. The Oregon Department of Forestry reports all lines held overnight, putting day shift resources in position to continue further securing of the fire. The fire is estimated at 11 acres. Today’s resources include three 20-person hand crews, three engines, two water tenders, and one falling module. Crews will systematically grid the burned area, checking logs, stumps, vegetation and other fuels that can hold heat. As firefighters work farther into the interior, they will cool any extinguish heat, increasing the distance between any remaining heat and the fire’s edge. Aircraft are available as needed to support firefighters on the ground. The official cause of the Fork State Park Fire remains under investigation. All evacuation warnings have been lifted.
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Woodrat Mountain Fire 50% Contained, Incident Transitions to Local Team
Woodrat Mountain Fire crews reached 50% containment and extended mop-up to 200 feet from the fire's perimeter. The Oregon Department of Forestry reports the fire remains mapped at 282 acres. The snagging operation has been completed across the incident, removing hazardous trees presenting a significant challenge to firefighter's efforts in securing portions of the perimeter. Overnight resources included seven 20-person hand crews, one 10-person hand crew, three Type 6 engines and four water tenders. Firefighters continued gridding for remaining heat and working deeper into the burned area. A local Type 4 organization assumed command this morning as the incident continues to stabilize and decrease in complexity. A Temporary Flight Restriction remains in place over the fire area. Flying a drone near a wildfire is illegal and can force firefighting aircraft to leave the area. The official cause of the fire remains under active investigation.
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