1,000-acre wildfire east of Madras reaches 60% containment

(Update: Adding video, new containment estimate; perimeter secured)

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Firefighters made good progress and reached 60% containment Wednesday of a day-old, 1,000-acre fire on private land about 10 miles east of Madras, officials said.

The perimeter is secure on the Teller Flat Fire, reported at midday Tuesday, so a larger estimate of the fire's size was from GPS and mapping, as well as a look over the fire, according to Christie Shaw, public information officer for the Oregon Department of Forestry's Central Oregon District.

"There is some interior pockets of unburned fuel which continue to flare up," Shaw said, but they are far from the perimeter.

Shaw said crews would be released Wednesday afternoon to return to their home units. The fire will be in patrol status Thursday, as an ODF engine crew monitors the perimeter for hot spots.

The fire broke out and burned in brush and grass on private land not in any fire protection district, Shaw said.

Five ODF engines and a BLM engine were on the fire Wednesday, along with five ODF five-person hand crews helping the Ashwood-Antelope Rangeland Fire Protection Association and local landowners.

Fortunately, there was low-intensity fire behavior and limited growth overnight, Shaw said.

ODF crews engaged in the firefighting effort due to the fire’s proximity to the agency’s protection boundary and state-protected land, she added.

Crews also worked to isolate the area of origin so they can determine a cause, if possible, Shaw said.