Crews Battle Blaze That Shuts Down Highway in Baker County
By Joe Hathaway on Friday, August 4th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER COUNTY — A fire near Phillips Lake outside of Baker City has grown to more than 70 acres.
The fire was reported Wednesday morning around 10:00 am. Multiple crews responded to the blaze, including air support and dozers from the Oregon Department of Forestry.
As of Friday, August 4th no evacuations have been ordered.
The fire also shut down Highway 7 for hours as crews tried to get a handle on the fire and also because of fallen rocks on the highway.
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative also shut off power for 900 customers to help crews fight the fire safely.
A smaller fire also started in the same area on Wednesday, but that was quickly contained to five acres.
No word yet if any structures have been damaged and officials say they haven’t found the cause of the blaze.
