Oregon sees first big fires of the season
(The Center Square) – Three Oregon wildfires have the state on high alert as the state braces for a long fire season.
Over the weekend, a Klamath County fire burned more than 1,150 acres near Bly Mountain Cutoff Road in the neighborhood of Klamath Falls. One of the biggest so far this year, the blaze threatens 125 structures, according to state and local officials. Its cause is under investigation, though most fires in the state are human-caused, especially in 2021.
As of Monday, Medford city officials reported two Neptune Air Tankers were fighting the Cutoff Fire. The Missoulian reports the average daily rate in 2018 for flying a firefighting aircraft is $30,150 plus $7,601 per hour of flight time.
On Monday, residents living east of Bly Mountain Cutoff Road, north of Grizzly Lane, west of Hummingbird Drive and South of Keno Springs Road were all under Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders.
Local officials reported on Sunday that around half of the Cutoff Fire’s 1,500-acre permitter had been lined. It was 10% contained as of Sunday night.
A second Southwest Oregon wildfire that erupted over the weekend on North River Road between Gold Hill and Rogue River in Jackson County burned 60 acres. It was 65% contained by Sunday night. Forty firefighters were at the scene working mop-up duty, the Oregon Department of Forestry reports.
The third wildfire taking up state officials’ attention is the 6,000 acre S-503 Fire burning on the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon. Residents living west of Back Walters Road and Kelly Springs were issued Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders until Sunday night, when that order was demoted to Level 2 “Get Set” status.
By Monday, smoke from the S-503 Fire was visible in at least a dozen counties. The National Weather Service of Portland reported on Monday the smoke from the S-503 had reached Southeast Portland. Faint smoke trails from the blaze were also visible in the Willamette Valley on Monday to the west.
Funding statewide wildfire responses are a top legislative priority for Oregon lawmakers in 2021. The state legislature is looking to tax home insurance policies to shore up millions for what could be another destructive fire season to come. Last year, Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency over wildfires in August. By Labor Day, more than a million acres were lost to wildfires that burned some 4,000 homes.
Temperatures from Western Oregon’s Willamette Valley to Portland to the north have hovered around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. In Southern Oregon, temperatures are expected to soar well above 100 degrees.
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