Crews make progress on Ore. fires; brace for more

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Lightning started a handful of small wildfires in southeast Oregon, and officials worry there could be additional flare-ups this weekend.

Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Tara Martinak says Harney County got 170 lightning strikes late Friday afternoon. The largest wildfire sparked by the lightning was the 125-acre Standcliff Creek fire, and crews have made significant progress toward containment.

Elsewhere, Fire crews reported progress in their battle against a week-old wildfire that has burned across more than 76 square miles of central Oregon.

Fire officials say the Sunnyside Turnoff fire is now 60 percent contained. The fire is located on lands of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, east of Highway 26 near Warm Springs.

On the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, the Labrador fire has grown to about 300 acres and remains active. The fire is located west of the Illinois River and is burning close to the Kalmiopsis Wilderness.