Fire burns 31 acres of grass, brush near Dufur

A fire burned more than 30 acres of grass and brush west of Dufur in north-central Oregon Saturday afternoon before crews aided by a small air tanker and helicopter got it contained, officials said.

The Jewel Road Fire was reported Saturday at 4:30 p.m. burning in grass and brush on Oregon Department of Forestry-protected lands west of the Wasco County town of Dufur.

Firefighting resources from ODF’s Central Oregon District and several cooperators stopped the fire’s spread at 31 acres.

A single-engine air tanker on contract with the Washington Department of Natural Resources flew from Dallesport, Wash., and dropped one load of retardant and three loads of water onto the fire. ODF responded with four engines and a bulldozer, and four more engines were supplied by the U.S. Forest Service and a rural structural protection district.

The fire burned on rolling hills through grass and brush beneath an overstory of pine and oak trees, and was contained by 11 p.m. The engine crews were released from the fire by midnight.

On Sunday, four engines and a five-person crew were patrolling the Jewel Road Fire and extinguishing remaining hot spots. The cause of the fire was under investigation.