Escaped campfire sparks 638-acre Wasco County wildfire

An escaped campfire sparked a wildfire that blackened almost 640 acres near the Deschutes River in Wasco County before crews were able to contain it, officials said Tuesday. It was one of three human-caused blazes in the area over the holiday weekend, they added.

The South Junction fire, which grew east from the South Junction Campground along the Deschutes, has been 100 percent contained, Prineville BLM Public Affairs Officer Lisa Clark said Tuesday morning.

The fire, about 20 miles north of Madras and west of Highway 97, is believed to have started around 7 p.m. Sunday and spread quickly due to the cheatgrass and other dry, light vegetation in the area, Clark said.

The fire blackened 638 acres, including 311 acres of Bureau of Land Management property and 327 acres of privately owned land, she said.

Over the holiday weekend, firefighters also contained a 79-acre wildfire on the Lower Deschutes, about 15 miles south of the river’s mouth at the Columbia River, and a 73-acre blaze on the John Day River near Cottonwood Canyon State Park. Both are believed to be human-caused and under investigation.

“The fires we had over the weekend show how dry conditions are already this year — even with the rain we had a week ago,” Clark said. “And with temperatures over 90 expected this coming weekend, we really need people to be careful.”

The Warm Springs Hotshots were called out Monday to help fight the larger blaze, burning east of the reservation, said William Wilson, the tribes’ assistant fire management officer for logistics.

Annual campfire restrictions go into effect Tuesday on portions of the Deschutes, White, John Day and Crooked rivers, as well as on BLM-administered lands along Lake Billy Chinook.

The BLM said it’s No. 1 goal is promoting safety, and the river canyons present a combination of limited access, grassy fuels that dry out quickly, and steep slopes that allow wildfires to spread rapidly.

The river fire closures prohibit building, igniting, maintaining, attending, using, tending, or being within 20 feet of a campfire, charcoal fire, or any other type of open flame. This closure bans the use of portable propane campfires and wood pellet burning devices.

The closure also restricts areas where visitors can smoke to non-public buildings, closed vehicles, in boats on the water or while standing in the water.

The specific campfire closure locations apply to BLM-administered lands in the following areas:

• Within mile of the Crooked River’s edge from the Highway 97 bridge to Lake Billy Chinook;
• Within mile of the Deschutes River’s edge from the Highway 20 bridge to Lake Billy Chinook;
• Within mile of Lake Simtustus (located between Round Butte Dam and Pelton Dam);
• Within the Lower Deschutes National Wild and Scenic River corridor, which extends from Pelton Dam to the Columbia River;
• Within mile of Lake Billy Chinook, including the BLM Beach dispersed recreation site located mile east of the Three Rivers Recreation Area on the south shore of the Metolius Arm of the lake;
• Within mile of the White River’s edge from its confluence with the Deschutes River upstream to the eastern boundary of the Mt. Hood National Forest.
• The Mainstem John Day River from Tumwater Falls (River Mile 10) upstream to Kimberly (RM 185);
• The North Fork John Day River, from the confluence with the mainstem at Kimberly (RM 0) upstream to the Umatilla National Forest boundary (RM 62); and,
• The South Fork John Day River from Smokey Creek (RM 6) upstream to the Malheur Forest (RM 47).

Except in emergency conditions or with permission by an agency authorized officer, there are no exceptions to this closure. A violation of this closure is punishable to by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment of not more than 12 months, or both.

In addition, igniting, possessing and/or using fireworks or target shooting with exploding targets is prohibited on BLM-administered lands in Oregon and Washington from May 27, 2016 through October 14, 2016.

For more information about these closures, or other fire restrictions on BLM-administered lands in Central Oregon, please call the Prineville BLM District Office at (541) 416-6700. For current information on public use restrictions, fire closures or changes to the Industrial Fire Precaution Level on the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and the Prineville BLM, please call the information line at 1-800-523-4737.