The Copperfield Fire, which started over the weekend, was estimated to be 3,656 acres on Tuesday morning. It鈥檚 burning in Klamath County, east of the town of Chiloquin. In an operational video on Tuesday, the Oregon Department of Forestry鈥檚 Eric Perkins said crews are making progress, despite strong winds and active fire behavior over the weekend.
鈥淲e鈥檙e ahead of where I would have anticipated us being at this point. Today is really our first full shift,鈥� Perkins said. 鈥淭he fire鈥檚 looking really good, I anticipate us getting around this thing relatively quickly and hopefully we can mop it up and everybody can go home and everybody can go back to their normal lives.鈥�
According to fire managers, up to seven primary residences and ten other buildings may have been destroyed by the fire. Klamath County Emergency Management is currently conducting damage assessments.
A level 3 evacuation order is still in effect for areas between Chiloquin and the community of Sprague River. Those orders will be reevaluated by the Klamath County Sheriff鈥檚 office.
Most of the fire's growth on Monday occurred on the western flank, where winds drove spot fires as much as half a mile from the fire perimeter. Heavy equipment was used to establish dozer lines on the north and east sides of the fire.
Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the fire on Sunday. Structural task forces from Lane, Deschutes, Polk, Marion, Linn, Clatsop and Washington counties are assisting. The incident is being managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State Fire Marshal鈥檚 office.
Evacuation centers are located at the Chiloquin Community Center and Klamath Falls Fairgrounds. Large animals can be evacuated to the fairgrounds. Details about the and evacuation information can be found .
