Crews Make Progress on the Cinder Butte Fire

Email address:  Centralorfireinfo@gmail.com

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Fire Information: (541) 316-7711                         

Hampton, Ore. – Aggressive work by several hundred firefighters on the Cinder Butte Fire burning south of Hwy. 20 near Glass Buttes between Bend and Burns limited growth on the fire. Officials are holding the acreage at 56,000 for now, pending new mapping in the morning. Several helicopters, along with Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs), heavy airtankers and a DC-10 Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT) provided non-stop support to firefighters throughout the day. The fire is still uncontained as crews work to build, improve and hold the fireline through another evening and through the heat of the day tomorrow. A Type 2 Incident Management Team will be in place tomorrow to manage the incident.

Crew were able to anchor the fireline into Hwy 20, and then worked to build a preliminary line down the east flank of the fire. Fireline at the head of the fire prevented the fire from crossing Hwy 395 on the south side of the incident. Crews will focus on finishing these lines, as well as constructing line on the steeper, rockier west side of the incident. Continued hot and dry conditions, as well as afternoon winds, remain the main challenges to fire suppression. No residences have been lost to the fire; however, two old homesteads (unoccupied) are believed to have been burned.

Fire danger throughout Central Oregon remains EXTREME due to very dry fuel conditions and extremely high temperatures. Fire officials throughout much of Central and Eastern Oregon are moving into a full shut-down of Industrial Operations (IFPL 4) and complete restrictions on the use of campfires and barbeques, even in designated campgrounds. Anyone planning on heading out camping should call in advance to find out if campfires are allowed where they plan to go, and plan to bring white gas or propane stoves in areas with closures.

Night shift on Cinder Butte last night - firefighters work through the night to take advantage of cooler temps and less active fire behavior. Crews tonight will work under the light of headlamps and the fire to build fireline. Photo: Shawn Jaca, Prineville BLM