Close to 1,000 people were evacuated from homes in and around the city of Rogue River as a result of a fast-moving wildfire burning near the west edge of town, according to city of Rogue River officials.

The Fielder Mountain Fire was estimated at 550 acres this morning, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry, a growth of around 100 acres since Thursday evening.

Rogue River anglers should feel pretty good about salmon and steelhead angling going forward.

“We’re only a couple of weeks away from some salmon showing up around here,” said retired guide Ray Slusser, speaking of the middle Rogue.

The fall chinook season can produce fish upwards of 40 pounds every now and then.

At the bay in Gold Beach, those chinook are bending rods now, said guide Troy Whitaker.

Our stressful ordeal began early afternoon on Aug. 6 when I glanced out the kitchen window and saw a dark column of smoke rising on the ridge immediately west of our rural home in the Sterling Creek drainage on the far eastern reaches of the Applegate Valley.

“Better come look at this!” I shouted to Maureen, who was in another room.

“Oh, no!” my wife responded when she saw the growing plume.

A conceptual art installation by internationally recognized Japanese-born Ashland artist Wataru Sugiyama will be publicly unveiled next week in Phoenix.

The evening celebration is planned from 4-9 p.m. Aug. 21 at Ethos Academy, 4414 S. Pacific Highway.

The event will feature a presentation by Sugiyama, live Japanese music, raffles and refreshments.