Oregon Firefighters Make Progress in Wildfire Battles

July 24--Crews fighting two large wildfires in Oregon made progress over the past 24 hours although one blaze continued to spread.

The Sunnyside Turnoff fire outside Warm Springs has charred nearly 45,500 acres of grass and brush, said Ada Takacs, spokeswoman for the incident management team. That's about double the acreage reported Tuesday but Takacs said much of that extra growth came from better mapping in the southwest corner. The actual grown was about 5,800 acres.

The spread was mainly in the northwest by the Schoolie Flat area, Takacs said. Officials from the Warm Springs Police Department put residents of about 40 homes in the area on alert Tuesday. If conditions worsen, they'll have to evacuate.

But for now, no one has been told to leave and those who evacuated earlier this week from the Wolfe Point and Charley Canyon subdivisions have returned home.

There was also good news for boaters and rafters on Wednesday: The Bureau of Land Management re-opened the lower Deschutes River. It could be closed again, depending on conditions. Takacs said there's still a threat that the fire could jump the waterway.

About 560 firefighters and other staff are battling the blaze, aided by five helicopters and air tankers. The tankers, based in Redmond, dropped retardant Tuesday as crews carried out burnout operations.

Crews working on the northern perimeter were forced by thick clouds of smoke to shift to the northwest on Tuesday, Takacs said. The move bolstered teams focused on the Schoolie Flat area.

Forecasters expect more hot, dry weather on Wednesday, with temperatures hovering in the mid-90s and north and northwest winds up to 15 miles an hour.

The Sunnyside Turnout fire is 40 percent contained. Takacs said officials still expect full containment by July 28.

The only other large blaze now in Oregon, the Stagecoach fire south of La Pine, remained at 330 acres Wednesday, said Lisa Clark, spokeswoman for the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center.

She said more than 160 people are fighting the fire, with crews focused Wednesday on burnout and mopping up operations. Though the perimeter of the fire has not grown in the past 24 hours, flames are actively running through timber and slash, created by logging operations and debris on the forest floor.

A red flag warning is in effect for the area until 8 p.m. Wednesday, with temperatures expected to remain in the upper 90s coupled with low humidity. Forecasters are predicting a front to move through the area, bringing the potential for lightning.

"Firefighters will be on guard today as the weather pattern works its way through," Clark said.

Crews have been helped by homeowners clearing land around their residences, she said.

The Stagecoach fire was reported Monday about 3 p.m., forcing the evacuation of about 120 homes at 5 p.m. By 10:30 p.m., the evacuation order was lifted. An hour later, the Klamath County Sheriff's Office arrested a 30-year-old La Pine man, Kelly Jera Parker on suspicion of arson.

The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center said that Parker and another person, who has not been identified, were squatting on BLM land. The two left a cooking fire unattended which ignited the blaze.

The fire is 10 percent contained. Officials asked visitors to stay away from the area to avoid hurting the firefighting effort.

Officials asked visitors to stay away from the area to avoid hampering the firefighting effort. Local residents are invited to a public meeting about the firefighting effort, held between 6 and 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Oregon Outback Fire Department near Gilchrist at 13099 Sun Forest Dr. off Highway 31.

-- Lynne Terry

Copyright 2013 - The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.