600 people flee Oregon fire
Flames wilt shopkeepers’ hopes in prime eclipse-viewing area
SISTERS, Ore. — Evacuation orders were issued for about 600 residents in a prime eclipse-viewing location in Oregon where wildfires have closed access to part of a wilderness area.
Fire officials said Saturday that another 1,000 residents near the tourist town of Sisters had been told to be ready to leave if necessary.
No structures have been burned, and no injuries have been reported since the fire began more than a week ago in central Oregon. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Crews were expecting a tough day Saturday with wind gusts of more than 20 mph.
On Monday, they will have to contend with the solar eclipse that fire officials say will require the grounding of all firefighting helicopters and most fixed-wing aircraft for about 35 minutes as the moon blocks out the sun.
Sisters is on the southern edge of a 70-mile swath of Oregon where the moon will completely blot out the sun. Shopkeepers were hoping that the fire would not inhibit business as tourists arrive to watch the eclipse.
“If you look up at the sky it’s not an orange cloud anymore,” said Andrew Bourgerie, co-owner of Sisters Bakery. “So it’s simmering down a little bit.”
Some campsites and recreational areas were shut down because of the 12-square-mile wildfire in Deschutes National Forest that jumped fire lines Friday.
Officials say the blaze is producing heavy smoke while burning in forests at higher elevations and sagebrush in lower areas.
“We have a few days before the eclipse to see if the smoke is in the area,” fire spokesman Lisa Clark said.
Officials said only aircraft with instruments allowing them to fly at night can fight the flames during the eclipse. Clark said that eliminates most of the firefighting fleet, although large air tankers will be able to fly.
Clark said firefighters are benefiting from the previous removal of brush and debris that could have further fueled flames.
In Montana, 155 National Guard troops arrived to monitor about three dozen security checkpoints in an area south of Missoula that was evacuated because of a fire that flared up after burning since at least July 15.
The fire destroyed two homes and several outbuildings Thursday. It burned an additional 14 square miles Friday and has charred an estimated 44 square miles of wooded, mountainous terrain west of Lolo.
The troops will relieve law enforcement officers so they can return to other duties.
The Missoulian reported that heavy smoke had settled into valleys, and officials warned of poor air quality.
Idaho’s two largest wildfires were burning mostly in wilderness areas.
One fire burned 17 square miles in Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, and another in Gospel Hump Wilderness had burned 21 square miles.
A backcountry airstrip was closed because of the fire.
In Arizona, officials said charges have been dismissed against Gene Carpenter, 54, who was arrested on suspicion of operating his drone in restricted airspace over a fire in June.
Deputy Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane said new evidence was being investigated in that case.