Evening fire update for August 18

CENTRAL OREGON— An aggressive firefighting response today prevented new growth on the Sheridan fire, as crews kept the fire within planned containment lines.

A new mapping effort has assessed the current fire size at about 200 acres with around 25 percent containment. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This morning, a wind gust carried burning embers across containment lines creating a two-acre spot fire in unburned fuel near the Sheridan fire. A quick response from firefighters that included helicopter and air tanker support contained the new fire and kept it from growing.

A Type 3 incident management team took command of the fire at 6 a.m. this morning and will continue working through the night and into tomorrow to strengthen planned containment lines. Smoke is expected to accumulate overnight and linger tomorrow morning in the fire vicinity, but dissipate throughout the day.

The Deschutes River remains closed between Harper’s Bridge and the Sunriver Resort Marina as a public safety precaution. Helicopters are dipping water out of the river for the fire suppression effort.

A Level 1 evacuation notice remains in effect for homes in the Fall River Estates subdivision and properties near the Fall River Fish Hatchery. This evacuation notice affects an estimated 70 homes in the area.

Deschutes County residents can sign up to receive alerts by visiting this website: https://member.everbridge.net/index/892807736723736#/signup

Around 250 personnel remain engaged in the firefighting effort, which includes support from the Sunriver Fire Department, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Forest Service and the BLM, among other agencies.

Multiple roads surrounding the fire are closed to public traffic. Road closures are in place at:

Forest Road 42/4220 junction

Forest Road 42/4230 junction

Forest Road 46/45 junction

Forest Road 40/4230 junction

Forest Road 40/41 junction

Forest Road 42/4240 junction

Forest Road 40/4270 junction

A map of the current National Forest road closures and area closure in place surrounding the Sheridan Fire can be found here: http://centralorfireinfo.blogspot.com/2016/08/map-of-deschutes-national-forest-road.html

The Sheridan fire was first reported yesterday at 4:30 p.m. by the Lava Butte Lookout. The fire started near the junction of Forest Roads 40 and 45, about 2 miles west of Sunriver in lodgepole pine forest, and spread about a mile to the southwest throughout yesterday evening.

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