Biscuit Fire 2666732 224722801 2008-07-10T03:25:28Z Karl Andrews 343115 {{Infobox wildfire |title= Biscuit Fire |image= NASA Biscuit fire.jpg |location= [[Siskiyou National Forest]], [[Oregon]] and [[California]] |date= Between [[July 12]] and [[July 15]], [[2002]] |time= |timezone= PDT |acres= 500,000 acres (2,000&nbsp;km²) |source= [[Lightning]] |landuse= Mixed, residential and wildlands |fatalities= 0 |injuries= |perps= |motive= }} The '''Biscuit Fire''' was a [[wildfire]] that took place in 2002 that burned nearly 500,000 acres (2,000&nbsp;km²) in the [[Siskiyou National Forest]] in the states of [[Oregon]] and [[California]]. It was named for [[Biscuit Creek]] in southern Oregon. The fire season in 2002 was an especially active one that started early with major fires in [[Arizona]], [[Colorado]], and [[New Mexico]], pulling resources from the [[Pacific Northwest]]. Between [[July 12]] and [[July 15]], a series of [[Thunderstorm|lightning storms]] occurred in California and Oregon starting hundreds of small wildfires. During this period, five such fires were started within a <span style="white-space:nowrap">20&nbsp;mi&nbsp;(32&nbsp;km)</span> radius of each other near the state border. Due to the fires already burning in other areas, insufficient numbers of fire crews and [[smokejumper]]s were available to combat these fires and they began to burn out of control. The large Florence Fire, which had started approximately <span style="white-space:nowrap">30&nbsp;mi&nbsp;(48&nbsp;km)</span> north of the border, eventually joined what was known as the Sour Biscuit Fire which was burning very close to the border. Once the massive Biscuit Fire was created, it could not be fully contained until [[December 31]], [[2002]]. The fire destroyed 4 primary residences and 10 other structures, put 15,000 residents on evacuation notice and burned most of the 180,000 acre (728&nbsp;km²) [[Kalmiopsis Wilderness]]. Despite the level of destruction, there were no deaths attributed to the fire. Since the fire, the [[United States Forest Service]] has been trying to [[logging|log]] most of the severely burnt area, despite [[ecologist|ecologists']] concerns about the [[Port Orford Cedar]], which is threatened from a root [[fungus]] that is most commonly spread on car [[tire]]s and shoes. This will be the largest recorded [[timber]] sale in U.S. history, and a landmark case setting the future for all [[fire]]s in [[U.S. National Forest|national forests]]. In 2006, a [[Biscuit Fire publication controversy|General Accounting Office paper]] on the effects of post-wildfire salvage logging caused a minor controversy within the forest sciences community. ==References== * {{cite web | title=Biscuit Fire - Analysis of Fire Response, Resource Availability, and Personnel Certification Standards | work=United States General Accounting Office | url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04426.pdf | accessdate=September 30 | accessyear=2005}} [[Category:Wildfires in Oregon]] [[Category:2002 in the United States]] [[Category:Natural disasters in Oregon]] [[Category:Wildfires in California]]