Firefighters continued to battle blazes over the hot weekend, with three new fires flaring in Oregon, dozens of households under immediate evacuation orders, hundreds of homes threatened, schools closed and thousands more acres blackened.
The historic fires this season, burning more than a record 1.7 million acres, are taking their toll on ranchers and residents. The Department of Environmental Quality issued a new air quality alert on Monday for parts of Oregon, stretching from eastern Douglas County and southern 老夫子传媒 County to Grant and Harney counties. The alert will stay in effect to Wednesday, with cooler, wetter weather predicted to return Tuesday night through Thursday.
Over the weekend, lightning sparked two separate fires southeast of La Pine, scorching a total of nearly 12,000 acres, and ignited another fire southwest of Bend, which covers nearly 200 acres. The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, which coordinates wildfire resources, has listed the three new fires as top priority, with crews being mobilized while hundreds tackle the other large blazes in the state.
There are 25 large fires burning now in Oregon, but firefighters are most concerned about the Rail Ridge Fire, the Willamette Complex of fires, the Devils Knob Fire and the Wiley Fire because they鈥檝e prompted evacuation orders.
The Rail Ridge Fire south of Dayville in Grant County, which was sparked by lightning, has burned 135,000 acres. Nearly 900 firefighters and other personnel are assigned to the fire, which has destroyed seven homes and threatens about 730 homes, commercial buildings and other structures. Emergency evacuation orders are in place and on Monday, the Dayville School District alerted families that it was closing closing schools this week, the reporter.
鈥淔or now, as a district, we have made the decision to make the health and safety of our entire community of families, our students and staff the highest priority,鈥� the district said.
The Rail Ridge Fire is 7% contained, which means that the fire growth has been halted on that much of the perimeter.
In the Willamette National Forest, more than 800 people have been mobilized to fight the North Willamette Complex of six fires. Hit by lightning on Friday, they grew have grown rapidly in the last 24 hours, scorching more than 5,300 acres, with 0% containment. The fires threaten more than a dozen structures.
The Devils Knob Fire south of Tiller in Douglas County has spread to nearly 27,000 acres and is 13% contained. About 120 people are assigned to the fire, which threatens 28 homes and about 70 other structures.
The Wiley Flat Fire northeast of Brothers in Deschutes County grew more than 6,000 acres over the past 24 hours, driven by strong winds. It covers nearly 27,000 acres and is 15% contained. A California crew, with more than 450 people, is mobilized against the fire and they are likely to benefit on Monday by calmer winds, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. The fire has forced evacuations and threatened various structures, with road, trail and other closures in effect.
Firefighters are also concerned about the Fossil Complex of blazes northwest of Spray in Wheeler County, which threaten two homes and four other structures. More than 270 people are fighting the fires, which have scorched more than 7,500 acres and are 3% contained.
And another large fire, with more than 950 people mobilized, has burned about 26,500 acres northeast of Mitchell in Wheeler County. The Shoe Fly Fire, which is 26% contained, was hit with a few showers and thunderstorms hitting the area Monday morning. An Oregon Department of Forestry crew is fighting the fire, which threatens communication and other structures, including 65 homes, and has prompted road closures.
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