New fires were caught

The McKenzie River Ranger District in the Willamette National Forest had some fire activity from the lightning storm that went through last Friday.

The McBee fire started in the southern end of the Three Sisters Wilderness and 4 smokejumpers arrived on the scene that evening. The fire was contained, controlled, and called out at .10 acres on Saturday afternoon and the smokejumpers returned to base.

Also on Saturday, a Forest Service engine assisted Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District with a fire on Deerborn Island. It was contained, controlled, and called out. A power pole caught fire and was dropping embers into the surrounding vegetation.

Saturday afternoon, Carpenter Mountain Lookout called in a smoke report to Eugene Interagency Communications Center. The smoke was spotted inside the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest. A Forest Service engine attempted to locate the fire in the evening but ran out of daylight before it was found. The engine is responding back out today to attempt to locate the fire that was reported in the steep ground and thick vegetation. The fire was also reported by the local Search and Rescue group this morning. The photo below is the smoke that was seen. Firefighters are trying to get to it today.

The Pacific Northwest Region has prepositioned two – Type 2 Hand Crews at McKenzie River Ranger District to assist with any new fires that may start within the Willamette NF and within the region.

On Tuesday, USFS officials reported 66 personnel and 2 helicopters were assigned to the Lookout Fire, which had grown to 3 acres. The area it’s burning in includes 60-degree slopes along with a thick stand of trees and old growth in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest.

Tuesday’s dry and warm weather could be followed by another upper trough on Wednesday - and possible showers or thunderstorms.