Oregon Wildfires Improving

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The D. Harris fire, which is burning southwest of Maupin, Oregon has moved away from the town and the structure threat has lessened, according to a news release from the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal.

The fire began Thursday afternoon burning in grass, juniper and pine tree stands and quickly grew to more than 3,800 acres by Friday afternoon. The fast spread of the fire prompted Governor Theodore Kulongoski to invoke the Oregon Conflagration Act which mobilized resources from other areas to the fire.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office Red Incident Management Team assumed command of the fire early Friday and by Friday afternoon the fire had grown to more than 3,800 acres.

With the decreasing threat, structural task forces from Multnomah and Washington Hood River counties were demobilized Friday and the structural protection was turned back to the local fire district, according to the release.

According to the Oregon State Fire Marshall, residents in Maupin are not longer under a level 1 evacuation alert but should remain prepared.

The Lower Deschutes Complex Fire now consists of four fires, the Oak Canyon, Tygh Ridge, Fall Canyon and Devil's Half Acre Fires, according to InciWeb. All four fires were caused by lightning strikes earlier in the week and management of the fire was taken over Friday by the Central Oregon Incident Management Team.

This fire is also burning near Maupin, Oregon about five miles north of the town but is burning in land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and not threatening structures. The blaze has burned approximately 5,700 acres of grasses, sage and junipers and is 60 percent contained, according to InciWeb.  There are 318 fire personnel on scene.

The Oak Flat Fire remained active Friday and grew to 2,100 acres with 25 percent containment, according to InciWeb. The fire is burning in the Rogue River - Siskiyou National Forest approximately 20 miles west of Grants Pass, Oregon. There are approximately 1,126 fire personnel on scene. 


Author:Barbara Brooks - Fire Department Network News