Firefighters continue to battle Raging Oregon wildfires, with more heat, wind on the way

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

Perilous Times and Climate Change

Firefighters continue to battle Raging Oregon wildfires, with more heat, wind on the way

Published: Tuesday, August 24, 2010, 4:53 PM     Updated: Tuesday, August 24, 2010, 4:58 PM

Stuart Tomlinson, The Oregonian


A series of wildfires ignited last week by lightning strikes continued to burn across Oregon on Tuesday, closing recreational areas, the Pacific Crest Trail and portions of the Deschutes River.

More hot weather is expected Wednesday and stronger, dry west winds are expected to hit the state Thursday.

Carol Connolly,  a spokeswoman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland, called the threat of the dry westerly winds Thursday "a rather significant event" that will increase wildfire danger on the west side of the Cascades, from about Salem to the California border.

And when people talk about fires in the Western U.S., they should include Hawaii, which is in the grip of a prolonged drought that has sparked numerous wildfires, including a 2,000 acre blaze on the big island.

In Oregon, as many as 30 fires were sparked by lightning that stitched a line up the spine of the Central Oregon Cascades on Aug. 17. Some that started that day are contained or nearly so, while others are just ramping up as winds and temperatures increase, Connolly said.

The Scott Mountain, burning in the Willamette National Forest 15 miles east of Sisters, putting out a plume of smoke.

Here is a roundup of the biggest fires in Oregon:

View Lake Complex: Two fires that have joined together covering about 270 acres in the Mount Hood National Forest about 45 miles east of Estacada. The fire is 60 percent contained, but has forced the closure of the Olallie Lake Scenic Area, a portion of Bull of the Woods Wilderness Area and a stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail. The access to Breitenbush Lake is closed, and the U.S. Forest Service is providing a shuttle between Breitenbush Lake and Triangle Lake Campgrounds between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. for hikers using that portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. Total personnel: 362.

White Lightning Complex: At 27,109 acres the complex consists of seven fires burning 15 miles Northeast of Warm Springs, and remains just 10 percent contained. The fire closed a portion of the Deschutes River used for rafting last week, but that stretch – the splash and giggle part of the river – reopened to rafters last Saturday, Connolly said. The river remains closed from Harphan Flat to Trout Creek due to fire activity. The tiny community of Dant on the west side of the river is under an evacuation alert and home owners should be prepared to leave at short notice. Total personnel: 944.

Lower Deschutes Complex: The fire, at 9,304 acres, is 100 percent contained. "They had strong winds Monday night and there was no observed fire activity, which means the lines held," Connolly said. Total personnel: 319.

Scott Mountain Fire: The 300-acre fire is burning in the Mount Washington Wilderness Area in the Willamette National Forest, about 15 miles west of Sisters between Oregon 242 and Oregon 126. Fire officials said the fire started Aug. 19, but grew from five acres to 200 acres in three hours Monday due to high winds, and has been showing extreme fire behavior including crowning and torching of trees. Total personnel: 120, with more arriving.

Oak Flat Fire: The fire, at 4,363 acres, is burning 10 miles Northwest of Selma and is 65 percent contained. Northeast winds pushed a burnout fire back into the main body of the fire, and fire activity was reported to be very active. Total personnel: 977.

Meanwhile, in Idaho, firefighters in the state's southwestern desert are hoping calmer, cooler weather can help them gain ground on a wildfire that has scorched more than 510 square miles, or an area larger than the city of Los Angeles.

The lightning-sparked Long Butte fire was fueled by strong winds Sunday and Monday, blackening more than 327,000 acres and becoming the nation's largest, actively battled wildfire since it ignited Saturday.

So far, crews have contained 10 percent of a fire burning across a desolate, flat landscape of sagebrush and cheatgrass.

Susan Marzec, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Land Management, said the fire so far is not posing a threat to homes or communities, but has destroyed some ranch buildings in an area about 35 miles south of Glenns Ferry."

Other closures: Due to increased fire danger, OHV and ATV trails in the Tillamook State Forest were closed early Tuesday morning, and starting today, Longview Timberlands closed 330,000 acres in Oregon, and another 316,000 acres in Washington to recreational activities.


The Associated Press contributed to this report.