Central Oregon firefighters battling old, new blazes
Firefighters kept working Thursday to contain several wildfires ignited by a lightning storm that passed through Central Oregon Tuesday night while responding to three new blazes, officials said.
Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch workers remained on high alert, as lightning was predicted through midnight, but the watch for “sleeper” smoke columns will last for many days if not weeks, they said.
Firefighters on the Buck Creek Fire, 17 miles northeast of Hampton in southern Crook County, continued to work on holding and improving the containment lines.
The fire did not grow Thursday, but officials said it was more accurately mapped at 5,557 acres. The fire remained 60 percent contained Thursday afternoon, with full containment now expected by Monday.
Firefighters also held the lines on the Baker Canyon Fire north of Madras. The fire was held at 8,309 acres and moved to 75 percent contained. Crews continue to look for hotspots near the containment lines. Full containment is expected Saturday.
Incident #288, now called the Shoofly Fire, grew to 75 acres Thursday afternoon in the remote Clark Canyon area, 10 miles northeast of Mitchell.
Eight rappellers and a 20-person hand crew, with the assistance of a Type I helicopter, two Type II helicopters and a Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT), were working to stop the forward progress of the fire, but limited access, steep slopes and light fuels posed a challenge to their efforts.
Incident #283, located eight miles southwest of Paulina on Sulphur Butte, remained at 12 acres and was 70 percent contained by late Thursday. Full containment is expected Saturday.
Firefighters geared up for another potential evening of lightning. Although the storms can come with rain, rising temperatures over the next several days increase the potential for lightning “holdover” fires.
A holdover fire is a fire that starts from lightning; however, it smolders and remains fairly hidden in the roots or the base of a tree until the area dries out. These types of fires can show up for days or even weeks after a storm.
