Crews stop growth of Fly Creek Fire, still 25% contained; evacuation alert drops to Level 1 (‘Be Ready’)

(Update: Tuesday AM update; Tolo Mountain Fire 75% contained)

Fly Creek Fire in Jefferson County 5% contained; fire ban in area 'just to not add to issues'

CULVER, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Firefighters made good progress Monday on stopping a rash of new wildfires across Central Oregon in the wake of weekend storms and lightning, holding the lines on the 280-acre Fly Creek Fire near Lake Billy Chinook, where containment reached 25% and some evacuation levels were lowered Tuesday.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office reduced the evacuation alert level for the Three Rivers and Montgomery Shores area Tuesday morning from Level 2 "Be Set" to Level 1 "Be Ready." The Level 3 evacuation of the Perry South and Monty Campgrounds remain in place, officials said.

Here's the Tuesday morning update from Central Oregon fire officials.

Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Update – August 2, 9 AM

Central Oregon – Firefighters worked late and stayed out overnight on a number of the existing fires across Central Oregon. There was no significant growth on any of the incidents, despite gusty winds from passing thunderstorms. Resources responded to two additional fires yesterday evening.

One engine responded to Incident 521 in the Green Ridge area near the Fly Creek Fire last night. The fire is less than a half-acre. One more engine and a hand crew will be on scene working the fire today.

An eighth start, Incident 522, was detected yesterday evening near the cluster of seven single tree starts located north and northeast of the Oregon Badlands Wilderness area near the intersection of George Millican Road and Reservoir Road. The fire is on Prineville District BLM land and is a tenth-of-an acre. One engine worked the fire late last night and resources will be on scene again today.

Control lines held on the Fly Creek Fire overnight, it remains 280 acres and 25% contained. Seven engines, two hand crews, Prineville IHC (Interagency Hotshots), four water tenders and two dozers are on scene today. Air support will be available as needed and will be dipping out of Lake Billy Chinook. Portions of the lake will be closed for public safety again today where air resources are working.

A high priority today is connecting control lines from the two northern corners of the fire perimeter into the Metolius River with dozer or hand line. Firing operations may be utilized if needed to secure these control lines, if weather conditions are favorable. Additionally, firefighters will focus on establishing control lines along the western edge and southeast corner of the fire, the sections of the perimeter without dozer line. Thunderstorms are expected over the fire area today, which may bring gusty winds.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office dropped the Level 2 evacuation notice for Three Rivers down to a Level 1 this morning. The Level 3 evacuation notice for the Perry South and Monty Campgrounds remains in place. For information on evacuations, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonCountyORSheriff.

Firefighters made good progress last night on Incidents 512-518, which are located north and northeast of the Oregon Badlands Wilderness area near the intersection of George Millican Road and Reservoir Road. Resources will continue mopping up these seven fires today.  

Smoke Jumpers were not able to access Incident 519, located in the Mt. Thielsen Wilderness on the Deschutes National Forest last night, but they plan to respond today.

The 1-acre Juniper Creek Fire remains 50% contained and resources will continue mopping up today. Incident 505, located near the Fly Creek Fire, held overnight and there was little movement. Resources will be mopping up and cold trailing that fire today. All lines held overnight on Incident 506 as well near Lava Lake, resources will continue mopping up throughout the day.

Gusty winds and low relative humidity are the primary concerns for new and existing fires today. Red Flag Warnings remain in effect for portions of central Oregon through 9 p.m. tonight. There is a chance of thunderstorms and lightning over parts of the area today as well. Firefighters are available and prepared to respond to any new reports that may be detected today. 

And a Tolo Mountain Fire update also was issued Tuesday morning -- the last on the blaze, now 75% contained:

Tolo Mountain Fire Update – August 2, 11:00 a.m.

Central Oregon – The Tolo Mountain Fire burning on the Deschutes National Forest remains 41 acres and is now 75% contained.

With increased containment, crews will begin leaving the incident tomorrow to be reassigned to new or existing fires in the West. Local unit firefighters will continue mopping up the fire area until full containment is reached.

The local Type 3 Incident Management Team under the command of Jason Gibb will be transitioning management of the fire back to the Crescent Ranger District today at 8 p.m. Once full containment is reached, the District will continue to monitor the area in the coming days.

This will be the final update for the Tolo Mountain Fire, which was started by lighting on July 27.

For up-to-date information on Central Oregon fire activity, visit www.centraloregonfire.org or www.twitter.com/CentralORFire

--

Earlier story:

The Fly Creek Fire, near the Balancing Rocks along the Metolius arm of Lake Billy Chinook, quickly grew Sunday evening, prompting Level 3 “Go Now” campground evacuations and Level 2 "Get Set" alerts to residents in the Three Rivers area.

Some people staying at the evacuated Perry South and Monty campgrounds relocated to the Deschutes and Crooked River campgrounds.

“We saw a little bit of influx from people coming from the South Perry Campground. I’ll guess that five or six or seven families have shown up in this campground (Deschutes Campground) in particular," Tyler Banks, a park ranger with Cove Palisades State Park, said Monday. "Obviously, we have reservations, so we had to respect the reservations, but we looked into what sites were going to be open for more than a couple of days to move people around.”

Level 2 "Get Set" fire evacuation notices were issued for the Three Rivers and Montgomery Shores areas.

Banks said they also have a large open field called the 'D-loop' prepared for more evacuees and fire staff.

Steps were also taken to alleviate more fire scares.

"We started a fire ban here today, just to not add to issues," Banks said.

But even with the Fly Creek Fire and smoky conditions, Banks said it’s not keeping people from enjoying the outdoors as August arrives.

"Most people are pretty used to it (fire season) -- it’s actually a little late, in my opinion," Banks said.

Last year, much of Central Oregon was under a blanket of smoke through most of July.

Jim Cyr, owner of the Cove Corner Store in Culver, rents boats, and he's familiar with how fire worries can impact business, even in areas not directly affected by the flames.

“You know, you’re disappointed, because you’re having a good year and the smoke could slow things down," Cyr said. "You know, people get scared to come over here. We’ll probably see more of an effect, depending on how the fire grows.”

“I believe the heat has changed more people's plans than the smoke -- so far," Banks said.