A series of small wildfires ignited Wednesday afternoon in Central Oregon following around 100 lightning strikes in the Cascade Range, officials said.
Fire teams are attacking all eight fires, and most are small, but a few could impact outdoor recreation heading into the holiday weekend.
The largest of the group is the Tumalo Creek Fire, currently about 5 acres and located on Tam McArthur Ridge outside Bend. The fire is about a half-mile from the Tumalo Falls Trailhead.
There are currently road closures on Forest Service Roads 4601 and 4603 — which lead to Tumalo Falls Trailhead. Forest Service Road 370 to Todd Lake is also closed.
Fire teams have slowed the fire’s growth with multiple engines, water tenders and air tankers currently working the fire, officials said. But the fire has continued to grow.
Related: Forest Service keeps wildfires burning in Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains for forest health
A second wildfire is just under an acre near Hosmer and Elk Lakes down the Cascade Lakes Highway west of Bend.
Fire teams are also responding to that blaze, officials said.
“All of the fires we’re responding to are small so far,” Central Oregon fire spokesman Patrick Lair said. “There is some concern because temperatures are so hot, but it’s also not as dry as it would normally be this time of year.”
It’s unclear if there will be any major closures heading into the holiday weekend.
“I think we can keep things pretty small, but we can’t guarantee that,” Lair said. “We have a lot of resources available, and we’ll make use of them. Fire teams are on all the fires.”
More: Iconic Wahclella Falls reopens in Columbia Gorge after 2 year closure from Eagle Creek Fire
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
More: Wildfire held at 1 acre near Marion Lake in Mount Jefferson Wilderness, no closures expected
Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter, photographer and videographer in Oregon for 11 years. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.
https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2019/08/28/wildfire-bend-tumalo-creek-fire-hosmer-lake-wildfire-tam-mcarthur-rim/2148120001/Bagikan Berita Ini
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