Black Butte fire at 21,237 acres and 30% containment
By Logan Bagett on Wednesday, August 18th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
PRAIRIE CITY – The Black Butte Fire burning southeast of Prairie City has grown to greater than 21,000 acres and is 30% contained, according to this morning’s official update (below):
(Press Release from Northwest Incident Management Team 6)
Acres: 21,237 Number of Personnel: 570
Percent Containment: 30% Cause: Lightning
Date/Time Detected: August 3, 2021, 10:00 a.m. Origin/Location: South of Unity, Oregon
Fire operations on the Black Butte Fire went well yesterday. East of the North Fork Malheur River and south towards Black Butte, crews patrolled and mopped up, strengthening the containment line. Air resources assisted with water drops on hotspots within the fire perimeter. The night shift continued the day shift’s work and did not need to use burning operations. Today, smoke columns may be visible due to interior pockets of fuel igniting.
Temperatures are predicted to reach the low 70s today. Winds should ease to 10-15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph in the afternoon. There is also a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. There is still extreme fire danger given the long term persistent drought conditions.
The west side of the fire will experience the most active fire behavior today. The fire has the potential to spot up to 1⁄2 mile with the wind. Areas may flare up with afternoon gusts combined with the extreme fuel dryness and low relative humidity. For today’s operations, firefighters will be going direct, fighting active fire within 100 feet of the fire’s edge, stabilizing the lines, and monitoring the eastern side.
Closures:
Recreation Sites within the closure boundary: North Fork Malheur River Trailheads both north and south, North Fork Malheur Campground, Crane Crossing Trailheads both east and west, Short Creek Guard Station, Elk Creek Campground, Sunshine Flat Trailhead and Trail, Horseshoe Trailhead and Trail, Sheep Creek Trail and Trailhead, Little Crane Campground.
Currently the Trout Farm and Crescent Campgrounds are still open to the public.
For updated Forest closure information, please visit the Forest webpage at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MalheurNationalForest.
