Range fire burns 350 acres southwest of Ashwood in Jefferson County

Cause believed to be accidental; no structures threatened

ASHWOOD, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A rangeland fire that broke out late Sunday afternoon has burned about 350 acres southwest of Ashwood in Jefferson County, officials said.

The Pine Creek Fire was reported shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, burning in grass and juniper on privately owned rangeland about eight miles southwest of Ashwood, said Ann Snyder, volunteer dispatcher with the Ashwood-Antelope Rangeland Fire Protection Association.

The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center in Redmond sent air tankers to help in Sunday's initial attack, with a goal of stopping the fire's spread before Monday's expected thunderstorms and red flag warning for dangerous fire conditions.

The fire, burning along Pine Creek near Hay Creek, is apparently human-caused and accidental, Snyder said.

The fire behavior was "hot and heavy" late Sunday but has lessened since, she added.