Contact: Media Desk: 541-416-6811 NEW! Email: Centralorfireinfo@gmail Twitter: @CentralORfire For more information visit: CentralORfireinfo.blogspot FIRE NEWS--Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center For Immediate Release: July 30, 2014 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 30 evening update PRINEVILLE, Ore.—Fire crews on Wednesday continued to respond to smoke reports and new starts throughout Central Oregon that originated with Tuesday’s thunderstorms and lightning. Firefighters have a large number of resources available locally and have been able to use them effectively in responding to calls as they come in. More than 40 new starts from Tuesday’s storm have occurred on the Deschutes National Forest, mostly south and west of Bend. Most starts are less than a quarter-acre and were contained on initial attack. Firefighters used helicopters making bucket dips in Crane Prairie Reservoir today to fight multiple small wildfires in the vicinity. One fire, Incident 590, grew to about 25 acres in steep, sloping timber about 4 miles northeast of Crane Prairie Reservoir before it was significantly curtailed by fire retardant drops from an air tanker. In all, crews responded to 22 lightning starts within a 10 miles radius of the reservoir. Crews also responded to multiple isolated fire reports across the Prineville BLM, Ochoco Mountains and state and private property, including a wind-driven grass fire on private property 9 miles west of Condon, estimated at 400 acres. At the time of this report, a new thunderstorm has begun moving north and several new lightning starts have been reported on the Crescent Ranger District of Deschutes National Forest. Two small fires are near Windigo Pass and one is just west of Crescent Lake. Smokejumpers will respond to these fires as soon as the storms subsides enough for safe air travel. Approximately 700 lightning strikes hit Central Oregon Tuesday, mostly landing on the Deschutes National Forest just west of Lava Butte. The National Weather Service in Pendleton has issued a Red Flag Warning for thunderstorms producing abundant lightning. The warning will be in effect through 11 p.m. Saturday, August 2, with daily lightning strikes expected.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 01:27:02 +0000
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