Two wildfires that burned over 2,000 acres north of Madras nearly contained

Fire south of Fossil at nearly 160 acres, 10% contained

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- As expected, firefighters brought two larger wildfires north of Madras that burned over 2,000 acres close to full containment on Sunday.

Here's Sunday evening's update from fire officials.

Currently, the  Johnson Ridge Fire,  located 9 miles northwest of Shaniko, that started early Friday morning remains at  789 acres and is 95% contained. The fire will continue to be monitored,  with crews and a water tender mopping up any hot spots found near the perimeter of the fire.

The Deep Creek fire started on Thursday afternoon and is located 21 miles north of Madras. It is approximately 1,246 acres in size, with 85% containment. Priority for firefighters on the fire is  on the thickets of trees and brush closest to the fire’s edge. The only threat to spread the fire is anticipated thunderstorms and winds.

Water tenders, engines, hand crews, bulldozers and a helicopter are all still assigned to the fires, to ensure they stay within their footprints.

The Type 3 Incident Management Team overseeing the blazes will transition back to a Type 4 Team under the management of the BLM Prineville District late Monday afternoon. A fire camp/incident command post was established at the Madras Elementary School for the roughly 160 firefighters working on the blazes.

The BLM Prineville District and Bakeoven/Shaniko Rural Fire Protection Association will continue to work in unified command on the fires.

We ask communities of Central Oregon and visitors to continue to be vigilant about fire prevention. No campfires are allowed anywhere in Central Oregon and being aware of parking or driving on dry grass. The precipitation Saturday was helpful, but most areas received minimal moisture and even those areas with moderate amounts will dry very quickly! Central Oregon remains in extreme drought, leading to continued extreme fire danger

For current wildland fire information, the public can visit centraloregonfire.org or follow fire information on Twitter @CentralORfire.

Cottonwood Creek Fire Sunday update from the Oregon Dept. of Forestry:

JOHN DAY, Ore. (KTVZ)  Overnight, the Cottonwood Creek Fire remained within the established firelines.  Light precipitation fell across the fire but was not enough to impact firefighting activity today. 

On Saturday, the fire was mapped at 159 acres, with 10% containment.  The increased size is due to improved mapping by firefighters, not from fire growth. 

The fire was reported at midday Friday, about five miles south of Fossil, burning on private lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District.

Firefighters worked Saturday to reduce heat and flames near the fire’s edge and strengthening the dozer line.  Helicopters were used to cool areas of intense heat, allowing firefighters to break down larger fuels and mop-up these areas.  Snags within the fire perimeter, especially near the fire’s edge created both a hazard to firefighters and posed a risk of spreading fire across firelines into unburned fuels. 

Firefighters focused on falling these snags Saturday.  A few minor slopovers occurred due to rolling burning material in steep terrain and embers from falling snags.  Firefighters were able to quickly build fireline around these areas and mop-up any heat in the area.

Today, firefighters will be working to increase the area of cold black between the dozer line and areas of heat or flame.  They will be focusing in the areas of timber and heavier fuels which typically hold fire longer.  Firefighters will use tenders and hose lays to distribute water around the fire area to use in this mop-up work.  A hoselay allows firefighters to pump water from an engine or portable tank through a series of hoses to efficiently provide water to all parts of the fire.  

The fire is being managed by a Type 3 organization from ODF’s Central Oregon District. Twelve wildland engines, five hand crews, three water tenders, a dozer, and additional overhead are assigned to the fire.  Local aircraft are available as need to support firefighting activities.

A Regulated-Use Closure is in effect for the Central Oregon District to reduce human caused fires.  The closure restricts mowing of dried grass, cutting and grinding of metal, and chainsaw use between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. as well as prohibiting campfires, cooking fires and warming fires.  The full proclamation and restrictions are available at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/PFR.html.  Industrial operations on forestland within the Central Oregon District also have restrictions in place.  Details for these activities are found at https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/firerestrictions/IFPL.html.  Preventing human caused fires allows firefighters to focus suppression effort on fires started by lightning.  These focused activities result in smaller fires with less damage to natural resources and communities and fewer impacts to air quality.

For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact information and unit offices, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.