Stormy aftermath: Lightning strikes ignite several new wildfires around Central Oregon
(Update: Adding Oregon Dept. of Forestry report, new fire south of Mitchell)
Rattlesnake Fire grows to 4,700 acres; Ryegrass Fire east of Maury Mtns. at 1,000 acres
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Thunderstorms that moved through Central Oregon Wednesday evening and early Thursday blanketed the landscape with hundreds of lightning strikes and spotty rainfall, sparking two-dozen or more new wildfires, several of larger size being tackled by crews, officials said.
Here's the full update from the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center in Redmond:
Crews worked through the night on several of the roughly 20 new fires reported Wednesday night and have picked up five new starts this morning.
The largest fire in Central Oregon remains the Wrentham Market Fire, currently estimated at 10,000 acres east of Dufur in Wasco County. An Oregon State Fire Marshal team, with assistance from the Central Oregon Fire Management Service fire officials, is responding to the fire, burning on unprotected lands in the Columbia Rural Fire Protection District.
The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office issued Level 3 evacuation notices Tuesday for homes in the area, affecting 70-100 people.
The Rattlesnake Fire is now estimated at 4,700 acres, with no containment, burning on Prineville District BLM-managed lands in the area of South Junction campground and the Warm Springs Reservation.
The Rattlesnake Fire is now under the unified command of Warm Springs Incident Commander Lionel Smith and Type 3 Central Oregon Fire Management Service Incident Commander Larae Guillory.
Four large air tankers, two Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs), a heavy helicopter responded to the blaze, in addition to the Central Oregon Rappellers and Redmond Hotshots. Trout Creek Campground on the Deschutes River is currently under a Level 2 (Get Set) evacuation order from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
The Ryegrass Fire is estimated at 1,000 acres, burning east of the Maury Mountains and south of the Paulina Highway on Prineville District BLM lands. A Hotshot crew and three engines are responding. The fire is 0% contained at this time.
Incident 449 is a 55-acre fire south of the historic Rager Ranger Station on the Ochoco National Forest and is being staffed by 10 smokejumpers.
Incident 447 by Maupin Butte near the Maury Mountains and south of Paulina Highway is 15 acres and burning on Prineville District BLM lands. Several engines are responding and it is 0% contained.
Incident 465, the Rocky Butte Fire, is burning near Steins Pillar on the Ochoco National Forest. It is estimated at 4-5 acres with two engines, a crew and aviation assets supporting suppression efforts. It is 0% contained at this time.
Incident 460 near Pringle Falls Campground on the Deschutes National Forest was contained at under ¼ acre.
With more hot and dry conditions over the holiday weekend, fire officials anticipate more fire starts to pop up in the next two weeks. The public is reminded that we remain in EXTREME fire danger and public use restrictions are in place on all federally managed public lands.
For up-to-date information on Central Oregon fires, visit www.centraloregonfire.org or www.twitter.com/CentralORFire.
Oregon Dept. of Forestry release:
Lightning Sparks Fires Within ODF’s Central Oregon District
[Prineville, Ore.] Passing thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and evening sparked several new fires on Oregon Department of Forestry protected lands within the Central Oregon District. Some of the storm cells came with significant precipitation, but in other areas there was limited moisture. Today firefighters will work to locate fires from the storm as well as continuing suppression efforts on existing fires. Reconnaissance flights are already in the air looking for new fires.
Today will be slightly cooler than the last few days, but temperatures are expected to be in the mid-90’s across the area with moderate winds. The warm temperature and wind is likely to fan any smoldering embers in already dry wildland fuels. Additional thunderstorms are likely on the eastern edge of the District which may impact fire behavior and start additional fires. In an effort to reduce active fires on the landscape ODF firefighters are working closely with rural fire departments and federal partners in suppression action. Wildfires impact air and water quality for communities across the region.
The Lewis Rock Fire, located two miles south of Mitchell in the John Day Unit, challenged firefighters late Wednesday evening. Erratic winds from passing thunderstorms did not allow for retardant drops from large air tankers, however overnight bulldozers were able to complete fireline around 95% of the fire. Remaining fireline will be constructed today by contract hand crews. Seven engines and two tenders will be working to provide water to secure the fire perimeter. The fire is 58 acres and 0% contained. Four air tankers are being used today to keep the fire inside last night’s dozer line. Residences in the Dollarhide area were placed on a Level 2-Be set evacuation notice by the Wheeler County Sheriff late Wednesday night. As a precaution, in anticipation of this afternoon’s thunderstorms, the town of Mitchell and surrounding community will be placed on a Level 1-Be Ready evacuation notice. For current evacuation information, visit https://www.facebook.com/WheelerCountySheriffsOffice.
Two additional fires in the John Day Unit were limited to a single tree. The Prineville Unit caught one fire at less than a 1/10 of an acre and spent much of Wednesday evening working to locate reported fires or assisting cooperators.
For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact information and unit offices, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.
