Nearly 350 firefighters battling Flat Fire in SW Oregon that has grown to nearly 5,500 acres
(Update: Monday update: Flat Fire grows to nearly 5,500 acres)
AGNESS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Nearly 350 firefighters had arrived by Monday on the Flat Fire that broke out Saturday southwest of Agness on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and has burned nearly 5,500 acres.
Along with 10 crews, the firefighting force Monday included seven helicopters and 19 engines. Northwest Team 6 arrived Sunday evening and took over management of the fire on Monday.
The Flat Fire was reported around 6 p.m. Saturday in the community of Oak Flat, two miles southwest of Agness, and brought numerous ground and air resources to tackle it. But fire behavior was extreme, with quarter-mile spotting and fire spreading on both sides of the Illinois River.
Crews focused efforts Sunday on protecting about 40 structures threatened in the communities of Oak Flat and Agness.
Officials said the fire was active Sunay in the west-southwest and east-northeast directions, growing most quickly in the Lawson Creek drainage.
“The fire is fully established on both sides of the Illinois River and burning in the 2002 Biscuit Fire scar,” Sunday evening’s update stated.
More resources arrived on the fire lines Sunday, including 10 crews, two water tenders, nine engines, a fixed-wing aircraft, three helicopters and various overhead personnel. Several air tankers and Coos Forest Protective Association resources also continued to work the fire.
NW Incident Command Team 6, led by Tyson Albrecht, assumed command of the fire at 6 a.m. Monday.
A Red Flag Warning for critical fire behavior is predicted Monday night for east winds and poor overnight humidity.
In northwest Oregon, a 20-acre wildfire near Estacada prompted a Level 1 "Be Ready" evacuation notice Sunday evening, KPTV reported.
Meanwhile, in southwest Washington, evacuations were ordered Sunday afternoon due to a wildfire near the Skamania County town of Carson on Sunday afternoon, KGW reported. The evacuation level later was lowered to Level 2 "Get Set."
Earlier in the weekend, west of Portland, the Banks Fire District said a residential fire that became a wildfire near Highway 26 at the Highway 47 Banks turnoff Saturday morning cost several families their homes, but assistance from several agencies got the fire contained. A Level 1 (Get Ready) pre-evacuation order was issued in the area and Highway 26 was closed for several hours.
In Wasco County, the week-old Boulder Fire 26 miles southwest of Dufur was 15% contained as of Saturday in the Mt. Hood National Forest near Boulder Lake Trailhead. The fire has burned more than 230 acres in steep, rugged terrain. Evacuation orders remain in place for several campgrounds, as well as forest roads and trails, with more than 400 personnel on the blaze.
In Sherman County, near the mount of the Deschutes River, the Deschutes Park Fire was sparked late last week by a camp stove that tipped over a few miles south of the Deschutes State Park, which was evacuated, according to the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office. About 1,000 acres was reported burned.
