Fire near Lake Billy Chinook 875 acres, 80 pct. contained

A lightning-sparked brushfire that broke out south of the Three Rivers subdivision near Lake Billy Chinook late Friday afternoon was 80 percent contained 24 hours later, having burned 875 acres, largely through burnout operations, officials said Saturday.

Resources on the Geneva 15 Fire on Saturday included 10 engines, three water tenders, a 20-person crew and two bulldozers, according to the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center in Prineville.

One outbuilding was lost to the fire, officials reported.

Reconnaissance pilots were up again Saturday, focusing on areas that received recent lightning to check for smoke columns.

But the latest round of storms brought more widespread rain than earlier, and COIDC reported no new smoke reports Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Ten Mile Canyon Fire north of Madras, near the Hwys. 97-197 junction, was turned over to a Type 4 management team Friday after containment lines held and containment increased to 90 percent on the 6,707 acres.

To the east of Central Oregon, the Corner Creek Fire 11 miles south of Dayville grew to 29,407 acres within the established containment lines.

The south to southwest flanks of the fire are being mopped up as about 800 firefighters continue to extinguish burning material just inside the containment lines.

Crews also mopped up within the Black Canyon Wilderness along the northern fire edge.

Danger from snags, fire-weakened trees and steep terrain will determine the depth of the mop-up. The eastern flank of the fire has cooled and is now in patrol status.

Little precipitation fell over the fire Friday, officials said, but cloud cover and cooler temperatures moderated fire behavior and helped over 500 firefighters achieve a fire containment of 75 percent by late Saturday.

As a reminder, several closures are still in place for the Corner Creek Fire, including an Ochoco National Forest area closure and the South Fork Road/Co. Rd. 42 which is closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of the US Forest Service 58 Road junction due to fire activity.

The 770-acre West Fork Fire, burning 10 miles southeast of Dayville, has 161 personnel on the lines and has moved to 15 percent containment, officials said Saturday. It’s burning on the Malheur National Forest, in an area burned by the Thorn Fire in 2006.

More information on Oregon wildfires can be found at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/38/

The Geneva 15 fire near Lake Billy Chinook prompted evacuation of three homes for a time, as well as the call-up of structural-protection engine crews from other areas.

Before nightfall, about 60 firefighters were making good progress in stopping the spread of the fire, named the Geneva 15 Fire, reported around 4 p.m. It was believed to be lightning-caused, according to Lake Chinook Fire and Rescue Chief Don Coffels.

By 9:30 p.m., officials said the fire was 10 percent contained, as firefighters made good progress in a burnout operation to keep the blaze from moving north into the subdivision.

From the air, four Type 1 helicopters, three heavy air tankers and two single-engine air tankers (SEATs) worked to stop the flames.

Jordan Road was closed for a time, Lake Chinook Fire Chief Don Coffels said, as some backburns were set off Graham Road to stop the fire’s spread, also increasing the fire’s size.

In 2002, the Eyerly Fire burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed 18 homes in the Three Rivers subdivision.

Coffels said the new fire was burning in the area of the Geneva 12 Fire in 2012, which also forced evacuations.

In 2013, the Geneva 14 Fire burned about 150 acres, while last summer, the Trail of Tears Fire west of the lake burned about 40 acres and prompted evacuation of Memorial Day weekend campers in the area. They also were put on alert last July due to the larger Bridge 99 Fire to the south.