All evacuation levels lifted on 950-acre Warm Springs fire; other blazes fought in Crook County, Three Sisters Wilderness
Barney Lerten
(Update: All evacuation levels lifted on UDC Fire)
WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Firefighters working through the night secured a perimeter of the UDC Fire that burned close to 1,000 acres and prompted Level 2 and 1 evacuation alerts on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.
The Sunrise Fire was reported around 7 p.m. Monday in the area of Upper Dry Creek Road and Sunnyside Drive, Watch Duty reported.
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Fire Management said Tuesday morning that due to progress overnight, earlier Level 2 GET SET evacuation notices were dropped to Level 1 BE READY, except for the Casino and Mill area, where the levels were completely lifted. The rest of the Level 1 areas also had them lifted at mid-afternoon.
Watch Duty said the National Interagency Fire Center reported a 950-acre estimate for the fire, while the tribes said they were working to map and update an earlier 700-acre figure.
Crews were working Tuesday on mopping up, monitoring the perimeter and addressing burning dead and down trees in the interior.
Firefighters on the reservation also were on standby for initial attack as storms moving in from the south are expected to bring more lightning Tuesday afternoon and evening, prompting the National Weather Service Red Flag warning amid continued hot weather.
Meanwhile, in southeastern Crook County, the nearly 400-acre Sunrise Fire southeast of Highway 380 prompted the BLM to issue an immediate temporary closure Tuesday of some public lands.
The Crook County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management said Tuesday it is closely monitoring the Sunrise Fire, which is actively burning in the South Fork Wilderness Study Area in Southeastern Crook County.
“At this time, there are no evacuation notices for this fire,” the agency said. “CCSO will continue to monitor the fire alongside our fire resources that are engaged with it.”
To the west, in the Three Sisters Wilderness, the Willamette National Forest reported Tuesday that full suppression efforts continue on the 3-acre Honey Creek Fire, reported following last week’s thunderstorms.
Firefighters are building line around the perimeter, with help from helicopter water-bucket drops. Officials said smoke may still be visible from Central Oregon as work continues on the remote fire, surrounded by hazardous snags from a 2017 fire scar.