News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters, Saturday, July 27, 2002 -- The Cache Mountain fire, burning some 11 miles northwest of Sisters, grew to approximately 1,900 acres, with wind-driven spot fires forming on the northeast and southeast flanks of the fire.
According to Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch, retardent tankers hit the eastern edge of the fire with repeated drops in order to slow the fire's spread.
Fire crews and equipment are moving into the area from other fires in Oregon. Three 20-person ground crews were assigned to the Cache Mountain fire from the Eyerly Complex north of Sisters which has has been declared contained.
Some 200 fire personnel are working on the Cache Mountain fire. A command post and encampment has been set up at Sisters High School.
A public meeting was scheduled at Black Butte Ranch at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 27, on the lawn by the recreation center to discuss the fire situation.The meeting is for the entire community, according to Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony and other officials.
Fire information officer Cass Cairns stressed that there is no imminent danger to Black Butte Ranch and no evacuation anticipated at this time.
"That's part of why we need to be out there -- to reassure those people," Cairns said. "What you don't know is what's bad."
Forest Service roads in the vicinity of the fire have been closed. There are six bulldozers working to cut containment lines around the fire and six helicopters are making water drops to assist ground crews in battling the flames. Three air tankers are rotating on the fire, making drops of retardent.
Cairns reported that a tank has been set up at the gravel pit northwest of Black Butte Ranch to allow helicopters to dip out retardent slurry to drop on the blaze.
Camp Tamarack was evacuated on Thursday afternoon, July 25, as the fire approached within a mile to a mile-and-a-half of the recreational facility. The evacuation was a precautionary measure, since the camp houses animals, including horses, that should be moved out of a fire area in as calm and deliberate a manner as possible.
There were no children at the camp; evacuees were staff members. The recreational facility is not imminently threatened, according to dispatchers.
Lightning strikes late Tuesday afternoon, July 23, touched off the blaze. Fire conditions are extreme in Central Oregon and public restrictions are in place. Campfires, cooking and warming fires are restricted to campfire rings at designated Forest Service campgrounds.
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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