Lake County wildfire tops 43,000 acres

Burnout operations again lit the night sky in southern Lake County on Monday from a week-old wildfire that has burned nearly 44,000 acres about 22 miles southwest of Lakeview.

More than 1,400 firefighters were busy Monday battling the lightning-sparked Barry Point Fire that fire managers said was at 43,677 acres as of Tuesday morning and 25 percent contained, burning in timber, brush and grass on the Fremont-Winema National Forest and private lands.

Fire officials said it will take until at least Aug. 23 to fully contain the fire, which was very active on the south and southeast sides Monday, with numerous spot fires.

A consistent wind throughout the night pushed the fire further into California, fire managers said Tuesday morning. The fie has crossed the Beaver Dam Road and is on both sides of Beaver Mountain.

Residents on the east side of the fire were advised late Monday they likely would see flames through the night due to burnouts on the east flank of the fire, south of Drews Reservoir.

A Level 3 Evacuation, coordinated by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, remained in place for residents around Drews Reservoir. A Level 3 evacuation notifies persons in the affected area that “current conditions present specific and immediate threat to life and safety.”

Homes six miles south of the California border and west of Goose Lake also have been evacuated, with aLevel 3 evacuation notice issued Monday for the Muldoon Mountain area.

A Level 1, precautionary evacuation advisory remained effect from Antelope Gap (the northeast end of Drews Reservoir) on Highway 140, then east to Andy Hill Road, continuing south to include the area on the western side of Westside Road to the Oregon-California border. Level 1 advises residents to begin preparations in the event that an evacuation order is issued.

Residents in of the Lakeview area will continue to see smoke, officials said Monday. They said people living south of the fire could expect to see smoke late Monday evening and Tuesday morning as winds shift to south.

Due to the potential for extreme fire behavior and the need to provide for firefighter and public safety, the Fremont-Winema National Forest imposed a fire are closure in the Dog Mountain / Dog Lake area, including all or or portions of forest roads 4808, 4017, 4026, 3752, 3924, and 3940.

For updates on this and several other fires burning across Oregon, visit the state’s InciWeb page.