Fire crews stop escaped burn pile north of Madras

A large burn pile of uprooted trees escaped north of Madras Tuesday and burned about an acre of cheatgrass, sagebrush and juniper before fire crews stopped it, officials said Wednesday as they warned of very dry fuels for so early in the season..

The fire broke out around 2 p.m. on private ranch land near milepost 83 on Highway 97, about eight miles northeast of Madras and just outside the Jefferson County Fire District No. 1 boundary, said Fire Chief Brian Huff.

The district responded as the fire threatened district-protected lands, he said. Because it also threatened BLM land, that agency responded with an engine from Prineville.

“The sagebrush live fuel moistures are very low for this time of year and therefore are burning extremely well,” Huff said, reminding residents to “be careful with fire.”

“The weather recently has been cooler, but live fuels have not seen enough moisture in Jefferson County to have a good update of moisture levels internally,” Huff said in an e-mail. “This is part of the reason that our fire district has decided remain closed to outdoor burning in the open.”