Fire near McKay Butte 50 percent contained

(Update: Mapping reduces fire’s acreage; now 50 percent contained; small new fires contained)

The McKay Fire, located about three miles east of Highway 97 and north of Deschutes County Road 21 near McKay Butte, grew to 1,219 acres before it was encircled, officials said Wednesday afternoon.

A mapping reduced the fire’s size by about 100 acres, and it was 50 percent contained by late Wednesday afternoon. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Three new fires were reported in La Pine Wednesday, Central Oregon fire managers said, and all were contained quickly. Elsewhere, two new fires were reported on the Post-Paulina Highway and contained at a half-acre or less.

Here’s the Central Oregon fire Wednesday morning update:

Last night , crews and operators were able to get a line around the entire fire and will work to hold and improve those lines today . Also, crews will be monitoring and patrolling for any spots across the line. Firefighters are requesting that the public stay out of the fire area between Forest Service roads 9735 and 9720. There are currently 12 engines, 2 dozers, 2 IA (initial attack) crews, and 2 water tenders working on this fire for a total of 110 personnel.

Although aviation resources are available, the ability for these resources to be utilized may be limited due to visibility from heavy smoke in the region.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Level 1 (pre-evacuation) notification for the Elk Lake Area due to the Nash Fire, burning in the Willamette National Forest. The following areas in the Level 1 are as follows: Elk Lake Resort, Elk Lake Campground (CG), Point CG, Little Fawn CG, Mallard Marsh CG, Sunset View Day Use Area, Beach Day Use Area, and Quinn Meadows Horse Camp. Currently, the Cascade Lakes Hwy, FS 46, remains open.

Level 1 (pre-evacuation) means “Be Ready” for potential evacuation. Residents should be aware of the danger that exists in their area, monitor emergency services websites and local media outlets for information. For information on these evacuation notifications, you can call the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office at 541-693-6911 .

Two other fires yesterday south of Lava Butte triggered the evacuation of the Lava River Cave and Lava Lands Visitor Center in the Deschutes National Forest. All containment lines held overnight and crews will continue to mop up these fires today . Those visitor facilities have reopened to the public today .

For information on air quality, visit http://www.deq.state.or.us/aqi/ or http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/

For road conditions and closures due to wildfires, visit tripcheck.com .

For more information, follow us at http://centralorfireinfo.blogspot.com/ or on Twitter at @CentralORFire. For the Central Oregon Fire Information hotline, please call 541-316-7711 .