Early-season wildfire burns nearly 260 acres in swampy area of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

DIAMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Firefighters have made good progress in containing a nearly 260-acre wildfire that broke out earlier this week in a swampy area of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County's first wildfire of the season.

The Diamond Swamp Fire was reported Tuesday a few miles northwest of the town of Diamond and about 60 miles southeast of Burns, Bureau of Land Management Public Affairs Specialist Tara Thissell told KTVZ News on Thursday. 

Thissell is a spokeswoman for the Burns Interagency Fire Zone, a Forest Service-BLM partnership that focuses on fire suppression, prevention and prescribed burning on public lands in Harney County.

The fire, which burned 257 acres as of late Wednesday, was found to be human-caused, but Thissell had no other details to share as of yet about the cause. 

“Crews faced challenging conditions, as swampy terrain made direct attack difficult, while winds kept the fire active overnight,” Thissell said. 

Fortunately, this week’s rain and snow slowed fire activity, with only a few smoke plumes still visible Thursday, she added.  

“They've had really great progress,” she said. “The problem with a fire in the wildlife refuge is that it’s really swampy country. It’s easy for the heat to hold down low in the peat.” 

“Officials are reminding the public to stay cautious,” Thissell told us, adding: “Even though it may not feel like fire season yet, this week is a reminder of what’s possible."

“Fire season is closer than you might think.”