7/3/15 Central Oregon Fire MORNING Update

Things are getting very hot and dry here in Central Oregon - please use caution as we head into the 4th of July Holiday weekend!

Firefighters spent the night working on a wildfire, Incident #312, located five miles south of Clarno that is now 800 acres. As temperatures decreased after sundown, crews completed a burnout aimed at stopping the main fire. Burnouts are small fires set deliberately from a secure line such as a road, designed to remove fuel from an approaching wildfire. As of this morning, fire crews are reporting that fire behavior has decreased. Firefighters will have significant challenges today; however, holding this fire through the high temperatures and low relative humidity predicted for this afternoon. The fire was reported by a private party yesterday afternoon at 3:15. The cause of the fire is believed to be human and is under investigation.

The Corner Creek Fire, 11 miles south of Dayville, remains the largest fire in the area and high temps, steep slopes, light fuels and afternoon winds have helped push this fire to more than 19,000 acres. In addition to the closure in place on the Ochoco National Forest, the South Fork Road/Co. Rd. 42 has been closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of the US Forest Service 58 Road junction due to fire activity. To read the entire closure order and view a map of the area closure, please visit the Ochoco National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices  

Information about the Sugarloaf and Corner Creek Fires, managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry Team 1, can also be found at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov 

A Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity is in effect through 8 pm Saturday. This means that any new fire will have a very high potential to spread rapidly. Fire officials want to remind everyone that in the high temperatures and very dry conditions, small sparks can start a wildfire. Legal fireworks should only be used where they are allowed, and metal containers or buckets with water should be available for properly disposing used fireworks. Fireworks are NOT allowed on Forest Service or BLM land. Cigarettes should always be disposed of properly and never thrown on to roads or in vegetation.