New wildfire burns on Steens Mountain

A small thunderstorm that swept through Harney County on Sunday brought several lightning strikes and a new wildfire to Steens Mountain in the southeast corner of Oregon.

The Tombstone Fiire, located on Steens Mountain near Tombstone Canyon, was reported to the Burns Interagency Communication Center on Sunday night around 9:00 p.m.

Crews were on scene shortly thereafter and worked well into the night establishing containment lines around the fire perimeter.

On Monday, engine crews and a helicopter made significant progress suppressing hot spots and keeping the Tombstone fire at 35 acres — until early afternoon winds pushed the fire across containment lines to the north.

The fire is burning in grass, sagebrush and a juniper treatment unit with hundreds of downed trees. Four single-engine air tankers (SEAT), an additional helicopter and more engines were en route Monday to assist with suppression efforts.

Like other fires in southeast Oregon this summer, high fuel loads of grass and brush from two seasons of productive growth and low winter snowpack could lead to rapid and intense fire spread, officials said.

Longer burn periods and elevated fire intensity extending after sunrise can also be expected., they added

Updated information on the Tombstone fire will be released as conditions change and improve.

Fire danger is extreme, and a regulated fire closure is in effect within the Burns Interagency Fire Zone. The Industrial Fire Precaution Level is a Level 4, which prohibits all industrial activity on public lands in the area. Visitors should use caution when traveling through and recreating in the outdoors this time of year.