Fast-spreading wildfire NE of Camp Sherman grows to 500 acres
(Update: Green Ridge Fire grows to 500 acres; Frog Fire at 40 acres)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – One of several wildfires sparked by recent lightning grew fast to an estimated 500 acres on Tuesday afternoon amid more heat and wind, though fortunately was moving away from the community of Camp Sherman, officials said.
The Green Ridge Fire is burning in heavy timber, two miles northeast of Camp Sherman on the Deschutes National Forest Sisters Ranger District.
Air resources estimated that the fire, reported at 30 acres in the morning and 80 acres by early afternoon, had grown to 500 acres, BLM spokeswoman Lisa Clark said.
Strong winds were pushing the fire across narrow roads with heavy vegetation. The fire was spreading primarily to the east, but also some to the west, Clark said.
Firefighters tackled 11 new lightning-sparked fires across Central Oregon Monday from the thunderstorms that have blanketed the region, and continued warm temperatures kept them growing overnight and on Tuesday.
Crews on the Green Ridge Fire remained busy overnight, catching spot fires from material rolling on steep slopes from the fire area into the unburned area below.
On Tuesday, crews continued constructing hand line on the flanks of the fire in heavy timber. Aerial resources were available again Tuesday to assist firefighters in cooling hot spots.
On Monday, aerial resources were able to assist firefighting efforts on the ground to construct preliminary fire lines, but the steep terrain continues to be a challenge, along with active fire behavior and spotting.
Incident #714, about one mile southeast of Haystack Reservoir on the Crooked River National Grassland, was stopped at 14 acres Monday. It was 50% contained by late Monday, and officials said firefighters will likely complete mop-up operations Tuesday.
The Lily Fire northeast of Lily Lake in the Charlton Roadless Area on the Deschutes National Forest was estimated Tuesday morning to be 30 acres, also with no containment.
Smokejumpers and a hand crew from the Willamette National Forest working the blaze were able to establish an anchor point to begin constructing containment line, but the fire continues to actively burn in the 1996 Charlton Fire scar, and into nearby heavy timber to the east.
The heel of the fire is within 100 feet of the Pacific Crest Trail on the Deschutes National Forest, and although there are no trail closures at this time, PCT hikers are encouraged to be aware of this fire and avoid the area if possible.
Additionally, firefighters are using the Charlton Trailhead area as a staging area for equipment, so the public is asked to please avoid the area for their safety and the safety of the firefighters working the area.
Early Tuesday morning, two standing dead trees (snags) rolled out into the unburned area of thicker timber and created a 2-3 acre spot fire on the Frog Fire, burning in the Maury Mountains on the Ochoco National Forest east of Prineville. It was estimated at 40 acres in active fire behavior by Tuesday evening.
Crews worked Tuesday to extend hose lays in direction of the spot, but water access remains a challenge. Firefighters also kept constructing containment lines where possible, to minimize fire spread.
A crew from the Medford Bureau of Land Management will be arriving on scene to assist in suppression efforts. Steep terrain remains a challenge on the north side of the fire, burning in thick timber.
The remaining fires across Central Oregon have all been held at under ½ acre, officials said late Monday.
Central Oregon firefighters also responded to 39 new fire reports Sunday, seven of which turned out to be false alarms, while 28 others were quickly caught and contained at 1/10th of an acre (single-tree) size, BLM spokeswoman Lisa Clark said Monday.
Jefferson County 911 dispatchers sent an alert to emergency notice recipients about crews fighting the Green Ridge in steep terrain. They said there will be area closures in the fire and urged everyone to be careful.
The fire was burning in heavy timber, with much of the uncontrolled fire edge on a steep slope. Plane retardant drops helped as crews on the ground used bulldozers to build and reinforce the lines, also using past fire scars as fuel breaks.
An area closure was put in place around the Green Ridge Fire for the safety of the public and firefighters working in the area. The closure includes all forest roads and trails in the area and will be in place until rescinded.
For more information on the area closure, visit:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/deschutes/alerts-notices
The Buck Creek Road Fire (Incident 674) was burning about 19 miles east of Hampton. The fire was at 17 acres Monday morning, with no movement overnight. It was burning in an area with no roads, so access is a big challenge for the fire, burning in sagebrush and grass.
The Red Rock Fire (Incident 655) held overnight at five acres, about three miles east of Stephenson Lookout and just north of the Ochoco National Forest boundary. The fire has a line around it, and mop-up work was continuing Monday, Clark said.
Four new fires were reported Sunday evening and another Monday on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, two of which were contained at small size, said Warm Springs Natural Resources spokesman Javin Dimmick.
The largest fire was the North Butte or P-515 Fire, which was at 300-plus acres and zero containment Tuesday, Dimmick said. The Lion’s Head Fire was 20-plus acres in size, also with no containment. Both were in the southwest part of the reservation, burning across steep slopes, brush and timber.
A new fire reported Monday, at Quartz Butte, was estimated at 20-25 acres, and bulldozer crews had a line around it Tuesday, Dimmick said.
About 80-100 firefighters were working on those blazes and other areas of concern, assisted by two air tankers and a smokejumper unit, Dimmick said. Seven more firefighting crews were being called in, to begin arriving Tuesday, amid continued high temperatures, thunderstorms and high fire danger.
With more very hot weather and thunderstorms in the forecast, crews across the region expect to stay busy responding to new lightning-sparked wildfires from the weekend’s storms, as well as any new ones. Holdover fires can smolder for days or even weeks in the drier material at the base of a tree, where it was protected from
On Sunday, winds toppled trees and branches large and small fell in several Central Oregon locations, one seriously damaging a car near Bend's Drake Park and another onto power lines off Seventh Street in Redmond.
The heavy rain also brought high water in some places, including Sisters.
A red flag warning is in place until late Tuesday for parts of the region, warning of more hot and dry conditions and afternoon thunderstorms expected. A heat advisory also is place for much of the region until Tuesday night.
