Huge Oregon blaze grows
Wildfires burn across western US
BLY, Oregon — The largest wildfire in the U.S. torched more dry forest landscape in Oregon on Sunday, one of dozens of major blazes burning across the West as critically dangerous fire weather loomed in the coming days.
The destructive Bootleg Fire, just north of the California line, grew to more than 476 square miles, an area about the size of Los Angeles.
Erratic winds fed the blaze, creating dangerous conditions for firefighters, said Sarah Gracey, a spokeswoman for the firefighting operation.
“We’re still facing a lot of weather issues,” she said Sunday. “The winds have been … hampering our efforts most of the time.”
Authorities expanded evacuations that now affect about 2,000 residents of a largely rural area of lakes and wildlife refuges. The blaze, which was 22% contained Sunday, has burned at least 67 homes and 100 outbuildings while threatening thousands more.
At the other end of the state, a fire in the mountains of northeastern Oregon grew to more than 17 square miles by Saturday night.
The Elbow Creek Fire, which started Thursday, has prompted evacuations in several small, remote communities around the Grande Ronde River about 30 miles southeast of Walla Walla, Washington.
In California, a growing wildfire south of Lake Tahoe jumped a highway, prompting more evacuation orders and the cancellation of an extreme bike ride through the Sierra Nevada on Saturday.
The Tamarack Fire, which was sparked by lightning on July 4, had charred nearly 29 square miles of dry brush and timber as of Sunday morning. The blaze was threatening Markleeville, a small community close to the California-Nevada state line. It has destroyed at least two structures, authorities said.
A notice posted on the 103mile Death Ride’s website said several communities in the area had been evacuated and ordered all riders to clear the area.