Crews make progress on Central Oregon wildfire


Thursday, September 18, 2008 | No comments posted.

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BEND (AP) — Firefighters completed a bulldozer line around a forest fire southwest of Bend that closed a stretch of Highway 58 and forced the evacuation of more than 100 people.

The containment estimate moved to 20 percent, and the Royce Butte fire could be fully contained by Sunday, said Jean Nelson-Dean of the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center in Prineville.

The 400-acre fire remained active along its southern and western fronts, which were being attacked by ground crews, air tankers and helicopters taking water from Odell Lake.

The southern flank is about a mile from dozens of homes in the Diamond Peaks subdivision, which includes a mixture of year-round homes and seasonal cabins.

Fire officials said it would be at least sometime today before about 120 evacuees could return home and Highway 58 reopen. No structures have been lost.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski invoked the state conflagration act Wednesday, freeing state resources to assist the local firefighters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized U.S. emergency money to fight the fire, most of which is on federal land.

The fire started Tuesday when temperatures were around 90 and a strong wind helped fan the flames. Fire officials said it was human-caused, but did not say if it was accidental or deliberate.

Elsewhere, the Gnarl Ridge fire on the northeast flanks of Mount Hood forced the evacuation of 18 homes and businesses in the Cooper Spur area. The fire also threatened historic buildings at Tilly Jane and Cloud Cap.

“We saw some very extreme fire behavior on these fires, but we’re hoping a change in the weather will give firefighters some help,” said Jeree Mills, a spokeswoman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland.
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