Black Butte Ranch is better prepared for fire

The second wildfire of the season to blanket the Sisters area with smoke is burning about six miles to the south/southwest of Black Butte Ranch (BBR) in the Mt. Washington Wilderness. As of the morning of August 15, the fire had spread to 4,250 acres and was about 10 percent contained.

Field Ranger Ryan Peterson of the Deschutes National Forest reported said, "There is still a lot of available fuel on the ground and a large amount of beetle killed trees, which, when combined with the terrain, has complicated firefighting efforts with the Lake George Fire."

He also stated that the fire had crested the Cascades and crossed into Linn County.

With the fire looming at the back door of the Ranch - though it is moving in the opposite direction - residents can take heart in the knowledge that the Ranch is better protected from wildfire than it has been in years.

Black Butte Fire Department Assistant Chief Tim Demers said that he was very pleased that the Pacific Northwest Team 3 is now in charge of the firefighting efforts. He said that, "This team has tremendous experience in our area after the B&B Complex Fire and they understand our special problems and the needs of our area."

Demers said that the firefighters' job at BBR has been made easier by the support of the residents of the Ranch who have embraced the plans and suggestions of the fire department for mitigating the hazards of some of the surrounding properties. There has been extensive tree thinning and clearing of fuel from the common property and private lands within BBR creating a more defensible space within the large complex.

Demers said that all residents have to do is look at the tangled mess on the forest floor a few miles from the Ranch to understand how the risks have been reduced and made BBR firefighting efforts much simpler.

BBR Fire Department personnel have set up an information station afternoons near the Lodge tennis courts with maps and current information. Kids of all ages can look at the four-wheel-drive wildland interface engine parked there. The BBR Fire Department is participating in meetings with other fire managers, and the BBR Police Department will monitor communications with fire officials for information purposes.

Loy Helmly, General Manager of Black Butte Ranch, reported that BBR is making every effort to ensure that the property owners and guests are informed of all fire related developments.

Helmly stated that information updates are provided through e-mails to those on their contact list and also on television channel 3 for the cable network available at BBR.

He agreed with Demers that the job has been made easier by the way the property owners have embraced the suggestions of the administration and the local fire department for creating a defensible space within BBR.