8/3/09 Central Oregon
By Brian MacMillan & News Sources
Severe thunderstorms pounded Central Oregon over the weekend. Saturday night and Sunday several strong storm cells brought heavy rain, strong winds, and quarter size hail to the region.
Firefighters spent a busy day responding to reports of 81 new wildfires caused by a lightning storm that tracked through Central Oregon Saturday afternoon and evening. The storm put down approximately 2500 strikes primarily from Crescent to Bend and northeast of Prineville. 77 new fires were reported Saturday evening, which led to 33 staffed fires. Firefighters are also responding to 15 new wildfires reported this morning. Most of the new fires from both days were contained at less than 1/10th acre, with four fires today growing beyond two acres.
Several smoke columns are visible from Prineville as crews work to contain four new wildfires located within a few miles of each other.
• Incident #506 is approximately 11 acres and is located two miles north of Ochoco Reservoir.
• Incident #555 is located 7 miles northeast of Prineville and is approximately 3 acres.
• The Evans Creek Fire, Incident #612, is located on the Ochoco National Forest and is approximately 10 acres.
• Incident #596 is 8 miles east of Ochoco Reservoir and is just over 2 acres.
All of these fires are staffed by a combination of hand crews, engines, dozers, and water tenders; with additional support provided by helicopters doing bucket drops and several air tanker loads. There are no structures threatened or evacuations planned for any of these areas at this time.
Incident #453, located on West Butte approximately 24 miles east of Bend, is now 100 percent contained.
The National Weather Service continues to issue a Red Flag Warning through Tuesday evening for most of Central Oregon due to critical weather conditions and abundant lightning.
With over 150 fire reports taken over the past two days, fire crews are busy responding to numerous wildfires. While no areas are currently closed to recreation, residents and visitors in Central Oregon are encouraged to watch for fire related traffic while driving many roads throughout the area.
*Lightning Picture Courtesy Of Steve DeVicente*
