Firefighters responding to 23 new fires Thursday

Published 11:35 am Thursday, July 1, 2021

Passing thunderstorms Wednesday ignited a flurry of new fires in northeast Oregon.

Approximately 23 fires have been confirmed out of more than 40 incidents reported as of 11 a.m. July 1 to the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center and John Day Interagency Dispatch Center, according to a press release.

Initial attack resources have been busy responding to these incidents with support from aerial resources.

Of the new fires, the largest is the Lewis Rock fire 4.4 miles south of Mitchell at 75 acres. Other new fires were reported 11.9 miles east of Prairie City, 20 miles east of Seneca, 7.7 miles south of Lonerock, 10.9 miles north of Spray, 5 miles south of Ukiah, 10 miles north of Ukiah, 19 miles southeast of Ukiah and 18 miles northeast of Prairie City. Most were less than an acre.

The largest fire remains the Lovlett Corral fire 10.8 miles northwest of Monument, which was reported Tuesday. Burning in grass and timber, the fire is 100% lined, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

The High Desert Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team, led by Incident Commander Tim Boyce, took command of the fire at 6 a.m. Thursday.

The Lovlett Corral Fire remains approximately 110 acres and is now 30% contained. Fire behavior was minimal Thursday, primarily consisting of creeping and smoldering with larger fuels burning on the interior. Firefighters continued to improve containment lines and completed mop up activities further into the interior of the fire perimeter. Mopping up includes searching for pockets of heat, digging out the heat source and cooling with water. Crews also completed hazard tree removal along nearby roads.

Friday, firefighters will continue to strengthen these containment lines and mop up hot spots adjacent to the line construction, working inward from the fire perimeter. There are pockets of unburned fuel within the interior of the fire, which may produce smoke as the fire moves through those areas. Firefighters will begin implementing suppression repairs today in areas where containment lines are secured and based on identified rehabilitation needs. In addition, crews will continue to assess hazards along the roads.

Current resources assigned to the fire include seven engines, four crews and four water tenders. Some fire resources will be available today to support initial attack on any new starts from the recent thunderstorms. Based on operational needs, some resources are also being demobilized today and made available to respond to other fires.

Current fire danger ranges from high to extreme. Public use restrictions are in effect involving campfires, chainsaw use, off-road driving and smoking. Regulated closures have also been implemented on state and private lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Call 911 to report a wildfire. For more information, visit bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com.