SUNDAY UPDATE: Bruler Fire containment grows to 44%
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Crews have contained 44% of the 195-acre Bruler Fire 30 miles northeast of Sweet Home, the U.S. Forest Service announced Sunday morning.
No further growth was reported overnight in the week-old blaze, first spotted Monday, July 12, near the jurisdiction of Forest Roads 11 (Straight Creek and Quartzville roads) and 1133 approximately 9 miles south of Detroit in the Sweet Home Ranger District. The fire's cause remains under investigation.
Firefighters continued mopping up near the established fire perimeter and worked to improve the west side's contingency line, which is scheduled to be completed Wednesday. Approximately 254 personnel are assigned to the fire.
Air quality around Detroit and Sweet Home continues to be listed as "good," the agency reported, and light winds from the southwest keep smoke from this and surrounding larger conflagrations to the east. According to data provided by the National Interagency Fire Center, 88 active fires in the United States have consumed roughly 1.4 million acres. The largest, the 400,000-acre Bootleg Fire, burns 11 miles northeast of Sprague River in Oregon's Klamath County.
The Willamette National Forest issued an order Friday banning the use of campfires within the forest boundary. This includes fires within established campground fire pits. Additionally, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has banned campfires east of Interstate 5 on all protected lands, including the area around the Bruler Fire. Additionally, vehicles are restricted to established forest roads, except for the Huckleberry Flats and the Santiam OHV areas, which remain open.
Large closures remain in effect. These still includes large portions of U.S. Forest Service lands south of Detroit Lake, west of Highway 22 and north of Highway 20, plus the Middle Santiam Wilderness, Daly Lake, Tule Lake and the Old Cascade Crest trail system. A Bureau of Land Management closure area is also in place for areas along Quartzville Scenic Byway and Quartzville Road, including Yellowbottom Campground, Old Miner's Meadow Group Site and nearby dispersed camping areas.
Visit InciWeb for more information about closures at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7663/. For other updates, please consult the Willamette National Forest's Bruler Fire Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/brulerfire2021) or the agency's Twitter account at @WillametteNF.
