Oregon firefighters are struggling to contain the Rum Creek Wildfire that has already burned through 43,000 acres as hundreds of personnel have been deployed to tackle the massive blaze.
Two additional task forces arrived in northeastern Oregon on Monday to help with the fight against the Double Creek Fire. The added firefighting personnel increased the total number to 401.
Double Creek Fire
Fire officials said they were hoping that the boost in manpower and favorable weather conditions could help them get the fire under control. The blaze was 0% contained as of Monday and was burning through a remote area near the Idaho state line, which prompted evacuation orders in some regions.
A spokesperson for the Oregon State Fire Marshal, Brian Richardson, said that Sunday and Monday "were really good windows of opportunity as we saw lower temperatures." The official added that winds were a lot calmer than what they had previously seen, especially on Saturday when there was a significant expansion of the fire, as per Oregon Live.
On Saturday, the Double Creek Fire grew in size by 10 times, from six square miles to nearly 60 square miles by Sunday morning. Gov. Kate Brown has issued a declaration that allowed the state fire marshal to take command and send other agency resources to help local firefighters contain the blaze.
On the other hand, the Wallowa County Sheriff's Office has issued a "Go Now" evacuation alert for the town of Imnaha and south to Freezeout Road, which was roughly 20 miles. Authorities warned other nearby areas to be ready for a possible evacuation due to the threat of the fire.
According to Fox News, officials in southwest Oregon said on Sunday that firefighters were able to contain more than a quarter of the perimeter of the 30-square-mile Rum Creek Fire. They expected further progress with cooler weather coming in, allowing commanders to release personnel to work on the other fires.
Containing the Blaze
There were several Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs) that were issued for areas surrounding the Double Creek and Eagle Cap Wilderness Fires. Some were issued to provide a safe environment for firefighting aircraft. Drones were prohibited from flying near wildfires and if public drones were found in areas of wildfire activity, tactical firefighting aircraft would be grounded.
Restrictions were also implemented for all National Forest System Lands within the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, except for the area within a quarter-mile of the Snake River between Hells Canyon Dam, River Mile 247.5, downstream to the Oregon-Washington border at Snake River Mile 176.0.
On the other hand, fire activity from the Cedar Creek Fire was moderate on Saturday due to cloud cover in the morning and higher humidities. Firefighters attempted to engage the blaze where it crossed the retardant line near Edit Creek.
However, they could not gain safe access because of extremely steep slopes in the surrounding area. Firefighters initiated a strategic firing operation in the southwest area of the fire on Forest Service Road 2421, KTVZ reported.
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