Firefighters' mop-up hotspots along the Ore Fire's edge against the control line to reduce heat along the fire line, as seen in this supplied photo, posted on July 26, 2024.
Courtesy U.S. Forest Service via InciWeb
Wildfires continue to burn in Western Oregon despite slightly cooler weather and a light rain.
Kate White is a public information officer for the Ore Fire burning about seven miles northeast of Blue River. She said the rain and recent milder weather helped fire crews make some progress, but there’s still a lot of work ahead.
“It is scattered showers and a fairly light rain,” she said Monday. “So while it will help minimize fire activity today and maybe for the coming days, it’s not what we consider a wetting rain so it won’t have a large impact on that fire behavior.”
As of Monday, the Ore Fire had grown to about 1,450 acres and was 29% contained.
White said another challenge crews are facing is people driving into closed fire zones.
She said driving into restricted areas puts firefighters in danger, who in some places are fighting fires right next to the road, or are transporting heavy equipment.
“It’s just imperative that folks are aware of that and stay out of those closure areas,” she said.
White said every entry point into a closure area is clearly marked and a list of road closures is available on the forest service’s website.
Drones are also not allowed in fire zones because they interfere with aircraft, but crews on the Ore Fire have not reported any issues with drones yet.
Pyramid Fire
The Pyramid Fire was sparked by lighting and is burning in the Middle Santiam River area in the Willamette National Forest. It’s now a little over 1,100 acres according to the interagency team managing the fire.
Officials say an air inversion Sunday trapped smoke and cool air over the fire which reduced fire activity. It was 9% contained on Monday.
Slate Fire
The Slate Fire is burning five miles southwest of Detroit, Oregon. As of Monday, it was about 91 acres and around 15% contained.
Officials will hold a community meeting about the Slate and Pyramid Fires Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Detroit City Hall at 345 Santiam Avenue West.
The meeting will be streamed live on YouTube for those who cannot attend in-person. Questions can be submitted in advance to 2024.Pyramid@firenet.gov.
Oakridge Lightning Fires
The Oakridge Lightning Fires include the Chalk, Coffeepot, McKinley, Moss Mountain, Tire Mountain, 208 and 217 fires which are roughly a combined 6,800 acres burning both north and south of Oakridge.
The largest of those fires is the Chalk fire, which is roughly 3,600 acres and 7% contained. The second largest is Moss Mountain, which is about 2,700 acres and 0% contained.
There are some road closures in effect including High Prairie and Chalk Mountain. Currently a Level 1 – Be Ready – notice is in effect for areas closest to the Chalk Mountain Fire. The most up to date notices are available on Lane County’s website.