Fire south of Dayville doubles to nearly 13,000 acres

About 350 firefighters working in hot conditions have brought the Sugarloaf Fire north of Dayville to 40 percent containment, but a new fire south of the small community doubled in size Wednesday to over 12,000 acres, prompting an area closure.

The Corner Creek Fire, estimated at 6,000 acres as of Wednesday morning, was at 12,700 acres by Thursday morning, having shown more active fire behavior later in the day, as the heat and low humidity continued.

The Ochoco National Forest imposed a temporary closure in place on portions of the forest affected by the Corner Creek Fire. The closure is to protect the public and employees from the wildfire and related suppression activities, officials said.

The order specifically closes FS Road 5850 and any spur roads, Black Canyon East Trailhead, and trails within the Black Canyon Wilderness. Mud Springs Campground and South Prong Trailhead Recreational Sites are also closed.

You can find a link to the closure order and map at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices

One new fire was reported early Thursday, a 100-acre fire near Prineville Reservoir that was quickly brought to 100 percent containment, the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center in Prineville said. The cause of that fire was under investigation.

Smoke Thursday morning in the Central Oregon area was blowing in from the Corner Creek Fire to the east, officials said.

With several other fires still burning across the state, officials are watching for new smoke plumes and pleading with residents and visitors to be extremely careful with fire as the holiday weekend approaches.

Wednesday’s plans on the 4,802-acre Sugarloaf Fire included completing more of the fire containment lines on the north and southeast edges of the fire and continuing the mop-up.

Hoses have been set up in the hotter northeastern part of the fire to help extinguish the heavier fuels. Other fire resources will be patrolling to monitor burned areas for signs of hot spots. Some residual fuels within the fire area will continue to burn, reducing the chances for the fire to flare up later.

On Tuesday, the fire team also assumed responsibility for the Schoolhouse Gulch Fire (#296). It is about 2 miles east of Dayville, roughly 100 acres in size, and has been contained and mopped up.

The team also was assuming suppression responsibility Wednesday for the Corner Creek Fire (#297) burning on the west side of the South Fork John Day River, about 11 miles south of Dayville.

That fire grew fast Tuesday covered about 6,000 acres, on the Ochoco National Forest, Bureau of Land Management Prineville District, and private lands. Fire suppression crews from the Sugarloaf Fire were assigned to the Corner Creek Fire Wednesday.

The team also is managing an additional incident, the 317-acre Blue Basin Fire (Incident #301). That fire burned on the west side of and adjacent to Sugarloaf. Little heat remains in this fire, officials said, and firefighters will continue patrolling and monitoring this area. Part of that fire is in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

The forecast for the rest of the week is for continuing hot weather with low humidity. Winds are a concern, especially in the evenings when “sundowner” winds have been gusting to 20 mph.

Here’s Wednesday’s roundup of fires around the state, from the Oregon Department of Forestry:

FIRES ON ODF-PROTECTED LANDS

The lightning-caused Jones Canyon Fire is 500 to 600 acres, burning in the Fossil Subunit of the Central Oregon District, 12 miles NE of Monument. The fire is active and uncontained.

Harper Creek Complex – The complex includes three fires: The largest is the Harper Creek Fire at 321 acres, located four miles south of Mt. Vernon. It is 50-75% contained and in mop-up. The Hog Creek Fire is 96 acres, located six miles east of Long Creek. The Luce Creek Fire is 25 acres, located three miles SW of John Day. These two smaller fires are fully contained. All are lightning caused and located in the John Day Unit of the Central Oregon District.

FIRES ON OTHER LANDS

The 14,049-acre Jaca Reservoir Fire burning 87 miles south of Vale on Bureau of Land Management lands is 70 percent contained. Cause is under investigation. More info: http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/information/fire_info.aspx

The lightning-caused 317-acre 0301 PR Blue Basin Fire burning nine miles north of Dayville is 50 percent contained. The Bureau of Land Management is the lead agency. More info: http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/information/fire_info.aspx

The 840-acre Jones Canyon Fire burning 20 miles SW of Ukiah is 22 percent contained. Cause is under investigation. More info: http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/information/fire_info.aspx

The 639-acre Little Basin Fire burning in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, Wallowa-Whitman Nat’l Forest, is 97 percent contained. Cause is under investigation. More info: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4290/

The lightning-caused, 5,345-acre Buckskin Fire burning on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is 60 percent contained. More info: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4286/

The lightning-caused, 362-acre Bunker Hill Complex burning 30 miles SE of Oakridge on the Willamette National Forest is 50 percent contained. More info: http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/information/fire_info.aspx

The lightning-caused, 9,000-acre Leslie Gulch Fire burning 45 miles south of Vale on Bureau of Land Management lands is uncontained. More info: http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/information/fire_info.aspx

The lightning-caused, 462-acre Candy Kid Fire burning on Bureau of Land Management lands eight miles north of Drewsy is 30 percent contained. More info: http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/information/fire_info.aspx