Entering an age of forever fires?

BLUE RIVER: A controlled burn that reignited on Forest Service land near Blue River grew to over 1,400 acres this week. Its cause, which officials say is suspicious, won’t be available until this fall.

During a public meeting last Tuesday, McKenzie District Ranger Darren Cross outlined how the Ore Fire developed after the 39-acre project was completed on June 10th.

It had been out for a month when area temperatures began to rise to the 100-degree range last month. When “smokes” began to appear on July 5th, Cross said at least one engine per day was sent to the area to douse hot spots. That response was then boosted by 3 engines and a 20-man hand crew that eventually put from 50,000 to 100,000 gallons of water on the ground.

On July 14th, it was determined that all the outbreaks had squelched.

“Three days later suspicious smokes began to appear early in the morning,” Cross said. Part of those suspicions were related to “good access to the area, continued thefts, and a lot of activity up there,” he added.

By Tuesday, 310 personnel, 6 engines, 5 hand crews, 3 dozers, 19 water tenders, 8 masticators, and 4 feller bunchers were on the scene and had contained 29 percent of the blaze. Officials say challenges they face include steep and rugged terrain, rolling rocks and debris, and fire-weakened trees.

“The driving force on the fire has been the topography out there,” explains fire behavior analyst Forest Ownbey. Other key components that contribute to fires are weather and fuels (vegetation, sticks, and brush).

“On this fire, we haven’t had a lot of wind, which is a big factor in driving fires,” Ownbey says.

Also helping to limit the Ore Fire’s growth is that it has been mostly burning at higher elevations. “The fire has actually been on the knob and nacking down,” he added. “If it gets to the bottom of a slope and goes up, it will grow faster and be more intense.”

This week fire activity was moderated by scattered showers. Crews removed hazardous trees from the Forest Road 1509 using explosives rather than felling large-diameter fire-damaged trees, and minimizing risks to crews on the ground. To the north, heavy equipment operators have been busy grading, clearing, and widening roads that are utilized as containment lines.

Cloudy and cool conditions with scattered showers helped at the start of this week. However, hot and dry conditions are expected to return and continue into the weekend, increasing fire danger.

Watch videos of the meeting at: tinyurl.com/3uzec7t6