News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters, noon, July 29 -- Black Butte Ranch will remain evacuated until fire officials are absolutely confident that the Cache Mountain fire will not blow up again and ignite fires on the Ranch.
That could be a couple of days yet, according to fire incident commander Bob Sandman.
"We're going to be very methodical about moving people back in," he said at a briefing on Monday morning, July 29.
Highway 20 remains closed from the Santiam junction to milepost 95 just west of Sisters.
Sandman said that piloted or restricted traffic will be allowed on the highway as soon as it is safe.
Firefighters are preparing for the possibility that the Cache Mountain fire could jump across Highway 20 and start spot fires on the slopes of Black Butte.
"That probability does exist over the next couple of days," incident Commander Bob Sandman reported at a briefing at Sisters High School on Monday morning, July 29.
Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony said that officials are preparing phases for informing and, if necessary, evacuating campers and residents in the Metolius Basin if the fire gets out of hand.
Contingency plans are also being formulated to deal with a possible spread of the fire to the south along the edge of Black Butte Ranch.
Seven retardant tankers are staged at Redmond Airport to drop red slurry on any spot fires.
According to Sandman, the tankers will also do preventative drops around the perimeter of the fire in hopes of keeping the blaze contained.
The fire has covered at least 4,300 acres and has consumed two homes on Black Butte Ranch.
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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