Firefighters quell fire along Fryrear Rd.

Quick and intense attack by aircraft and ground crews quelled a fire off Fryrear Road east of Sisters on Monday evening - a blaze that could have been a real problem.

The fire blew up quickly, though the official acreage estimate in the light of day on Tuesday ended up being 7.5 acres, down from the rough estimate of 20 acres Monday night. The fire threatened homes in the vicinity of Cascades Estates Drive.

Two tanker planes and two helicopters pounded the fire from the air as bulldozer crews cut a fire line around the blaze. As of Tuesday morning, it was 70 percent contained, with crews continuing to work to keep it corralled.

Firefighters protected the point of origin of the fire and the cause is under investigation.

Quick action was facilitated by prompt reporting. Local resident Stephanie O'Neill was returning from a youth camp with seven 14-year-old girls when they spotted the fire. It was about 10 feet by 10 feet at the time and they called 911 immediately, which enabled responders to start hitting the fire right away.

This was the second fire near populated areas in Sisters Country in just a few days.

Sisters and Cloverdale firefighters, along with wildland firefighting personnel quickly mopped up a small brush fire in the vicinity of Wilt Road and Big Buck Lane north of Sisters on Friday. According to Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch, the fire was kept to around an acre in size. It was human caused and is under investigation.

"We've had five human-caused starts (across the region) in a 24-hour period," Forest Service public information officer Kassidy Kern told The Nugget on Tuesday.

She urged the public to be extremely careful about any source of fire - campfires, cigarettes, catalytic converters, chainsaws.

"The fuels are very receptive right now, so just be as vigilant as possible," she said.