Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Fires in the Quartzville Corridor are mostly out, but the Boulder Creek fire will not be completely out until the fall rains start.
The Oregon Department of Forestry Sweet Home unit has been fighting fires on Rocky Top and Boulder Creek, both on Bureau of Land Management forests, since a thunderstorm rolled through the area on Aug. 7.
The two largest fires, Rocky Top Five and Boulder Creek, burned 28 and 62 acres respectively, Unit Forester Kevin Crowell said. Crews will continue to monitor both fires throughout the week. Crews will leave at the end of the week, but local firefighters will continue to monitor the Boulder Creek fire until the fall rain starts.
Rocky Top Five is out, Crowell said, but crews are monitoring for hot spots. Boulder Creek continues to smoke, but crews cannot reach the center because debris continues to fall making it dangerous.
Sweet Home Unit responded to 33 fires started by lightning during the thunderstorm, Crowell said. They ranged in size from single trees to these two larger fires.
“The big thing on these fires, it’s just difficult country,” Crowell said.
During the fires, only one firefighter was injured, Crowell said. He hit by a slab of falling wood and was released from the hospital that night. In one other incident, a vehicle was hit by a falling rock, but no one was inside the vehicle at the time.
The U.S. Forest Service Sweet Home Ranger District had seven fires. All are out now, but Destroit Ranger District has a 2,000-acre fire burning in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. It is located approximately two miles northeast of Marion Lake, which is being used as a water source for the helicopters.
Called the Puzzle Fire, it is burning in dense, bug-killed forest, said spokeswoman Judith McHugh. The fire is being fought entirely from the air. Tankers and helicopters are dropping retardant and water.
A portion of the wilderness is closed due to concerns for public safety, McHugh said. The closed area is bounded by the Woodpecker Trail to the north, the Pacific Crest Trail to the east, the Marion and Minto pass trails to the south and the wilderness boundary to the west.
Regulated use continues on ODF-protected lands, Crowell said. “We’re just asking people to be very careful right now.”
With the right conditions, chances are high for sparks to ignite large fires, Crowell said.
The Willamette National Forest, including Sweet Home Ranger District, implemented restrictions on Aug. 8, prohibiting, fires except in campfire rings at designated sites; smoking except inside an enclosed vehicle or building, a designated campground or in a three-foot clear area; possession or use of any vehicle on roads not maintained for passenger car use; any motorized vehicles on trails, operating torches with open flames; and operating a chainsaw, generator or internal combustion engine except on roads developed for cars, boats on the water and generators used in developed recreation areas.
For information about ODF-protected lands, call 367-6108. For Sweet Home Ranger District, call 367-5168.