News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Firefighters have declared victory over the first major blaze of the season in the Sisters country.
The Black Crater blaze, touched off Monday, July 28, when lightning struck a large white fir tree on the north side of the mountain, was brought under control by Wednesday evening, July 30.
According to Sisters Ranger District fire manager Mark Rapp, the fire consumed about 17 acres.
The McKenzie Highway, which was closed Monday so that firefighters could stage pumpers on the roadway, was reopened Saturday morning.
Eight 20-person crews worked the fire at its height, Rapp reported. With additional air crew personnel, about 170 people fought the fire. No cost estimates were available at press time.
Fire is a vital part of healthy forest ecosystems, cleaning out underbrush and renewing tree stands. For decades, though, the Forest Service vigorously suppressed all wildfires.
In recent years, the Forest Service has touted the reintroduction of fire into the ecosystem, but a decades-long build-up of fuels makes any fire potentially catastrophic.
The Forest Service does not currently have a policy in place in Sisters that would allow the agency to let naturally occuring fires take their course.
In any case, Rapp said that this blaze would not have been a good candidate for a "let-burn" response.
"Looking at the time of year, probably not," Rapp said. The site "hasn't seen fire in such a long time, it'd be hard to let a fire perform naturally there."
Rapp cast a wary eye at weather forcasts that predicted a new round of thunderstorms by mid-week. More lightning could make for a busy time for firefighters.
"We are getting into what's known as dirty August," Rapp said. "This can be our toughest month."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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