Human-caused 105-acre fire near Hole in the Ground 100% contained; blaze near Chemult at about 4,800 acres
Little Yamsay Fire, sparked by lightning, is now a prescribed burn operation
CHEMULT, Ore. (KTVZ) – A human-caused wildfire near Hole in the Ground has been fully contained, officials said Sunday, while a lightning-sparked fire near Chemult that’s evolved into a larger prescribed burn operation has grown to about 4,800 acres.
The 105-acre South Pasture Fire was reported Friday south of state Highway 31 and had a control line around the perimeter by Saturday, after firefighters camped out on the scene overnight, Central Oregon fire officials said.
Mop-work was underway and the human-caused fire remains under investigation.
Meanwhile, in south-Central Oregon, the Little Yamsay Fire, sparked by lightning 15 miles southeast of Chemult on April 20, is now at 4,791 acres and has just over 100 personnel on the blaze, with five engines and three water tenders, the South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership said in Sunday’s update.
Crews completed about 1,500 acres of firing operations on Saturday, with favorable winds from the west keeping smoke away from the Silver Lake Highway while crews were “carefully and methodically introducing fire onto the landscape.”
La Grande, Union an Lakeview interagency hotshot crews used drip torches along roads, while unmanned aircraft systems (drones) were used on firing operations in the interior “to facilitate treatments in a coordinated manner,” officials said.
Crews hoped to complete firing operations Sunday on Phase 3 of the operation, moving toward the southwest corner of the planned treatment area. Several engine crews were in place to hold the blaze within established control lines and protect legacy Ponderosa pines by spraying out pre-existing fire scars.
Despite possible “significant smoke,” officials said the fire was “still consuming mostly ground fuels, brush and ladder fuels.” There were no closures or evacuations in the area, but travelers were urged to drive cautiously amid emergency firefighter vehicles.
"Expect delays," they advised, "as traffic control may be implemented due to smoke and/or hazards."
