JOHN DAY — Wildfire has once again erupted in rural Grant County, this time near Prairie City, prompting a familiar refrain of smoke-filled skies and residents on evacuation alert.

The blaze, which broke out late Thursday afternoon, is located six to eight miles north of Prairie City and 12 miles west from its closest point to the still-raging Canyon Creek Complex south of John Day. Forest Service officials said the two fires aren’t expected to join.

By 5:30 p.m., the newly discovered Jerry’s Draw fire had already grown between 50 and 100 acres and was threatening homes. Residents on Ricco Ranch, Standard Creek and Dixie Creek were told to evacuate immediately, and Dixie Butte was put on a Level 2 evacuation notice, meaning they should prepare to flee at a moment’s notice.

A spokeswoman with the Oregon Department of Forestry said she did not know exactly how many crews were diverted from Canyon Creek to Jerry’s Draw, but did say the department sent some engines to help with initial attack.

Officials are investigating the cause of the fire, which they said wasn’t started by lightning.

Prairie City is a town with a population a little more than 900 people. On Thursday, residents could be found loading their cars and waiting on their front porches for the latest evacuation updates.

Heidi Cearns said she heard from a neighbor her street was among those under a Level 2 evacuation. She rounded up her most important documents and told her five kids, ages 3 to 13, to be ready if they got the call to leave.

“For the most part, there’s not much you can do,” Cearns said. “It’s just a waiting game.”

Amanda Graning, incident meteorologist on the Canyon Creek Complex, said how winds will affect both fires is the “big money question.”

Graning said at a community meeting Thursday afternoon at Grant Union High School that strong winds would blow west by northwest Friday, with gusts 30 to 35 mph. By Friday evening, however, they are expected to shift to the east. On Saturday, gusts are expected to ease to 10 mph.

Although the Canyon Creek Complex fire has grown daily by 3,000 to 5,000 acres, Wildfire Incident Commander Beth Lund said the fire is 10 percent contained along the northwest line of the fire, close to Canyon City and John Day. Lund said it was possible that, by Friday morning, more would be contained.

“There is a lot of fire, but it is not building toward communities or homes,” Lund said. “Fall Mountain was a concern. Vance Creek gave us troubles, but it all looks pretty good now.”

The fire’s south end is “starting to look better,” although it ran up to the ridge lines behind Seneca Wednesday. Seneca is still under an evacuation Level 1 alert, meaning that residents are put on notice that they may eventually have to evacuate.

On Thursday, crews were able to hang onto the southwest corner, “and that’s a big deal,” Lund said. However, she expressed concern about the fire’s rapid entry into a previously burned area called Parrish Cabin and along Dog Creek and Pine Creek ridges.

Also being watched carefully is a youth camp south of the Canyon Creek complex line near Logan Valley. Oregon State Fire Marshal Jim Walker, who is the structural firefighting incident commander, said engines were sent to that area to protect the camp, where there are 25 structures.

Power poles should be going up soon, said Lara Petitclerc-Stokes, spokeswoman for the Oregon Trail Electric Co-op.

Power restoration is beginning at milepost 6 in Canyon City and at the J Bar L Ranch. Additional poles will be arriving Friday and Saturday, she said.

Although there was a temporary loss of power on Fall Mountain Wednesday when OTEC had to de-energize the line, the power has been restored, Petitclerc-Stokes said. Power is also back on Miller Mountain, she added.

Rumors of potential rolling blackouts are not true, Stokes said.

U.S. Highway 395 is expected to be open beginning Saturday morning, said Paul Woodward, district manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation. A pilot car will lead vehicles on the highway every hour. The opening will occur during daylight hours only for a while until signs are replaced, guardrails are repaired and hazards are removed, he said.