Black Butte Fire nearly 11,700 acres
By Logan Bagett on Monday, August 9th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News Eastern/Southeast Oregon Top Stories
PRAIRIE CITY – (Release provided by InciWeb)
Black Butte Fire Statistics
Total Acres: 11,693 Acres
Containment: 0%
Personnel: 475
Date of Ignition: 08/03/2021
Cause of Fires: Lightning/Natural
Structures Threatened: 12
Injuries: 0
Aircraft: 3 Dozers: 5 Engines: 11
Black Butte Fire information: On the northern edge of the Black Butte fire, off Forest Road 16, firefighters continue to hold and improve containment lines to the North Fork Malheur River drainage. Protecting private lands and structures at Flag Prairie is a priority and firing operations will continue along 1675 and 284 roads. Crews will also work with the resource advisors on dozer work to clear roads for control lines. On the eastern edge of the fire, crews will scout primary and alternative lines to North Fork Malheur River.
To the northwest, along the western flank, crews will patrol and secure spots across containment lines and continue prep of control lines. Firefighters plan burnout operations as needed.
On the southeast edge, east of the River, firefighters will establish primary hand line and dozer lines, and strengthen existing lines after the fire spotted into Bear Creek on the edge of the drainage. The fire is active in the Skegway drainage, and crews continue to construct primary and alternate lines, tying dozer line in to roads and putting in hand line along the western edge. Wind, topography and vegetation continue to push the fire to the southeast.
Glacier Fire: The Glacier fire is currently 75 acres and burning in the footprint of the 2019 Cow Fire. Steep terrain and hazard trees are safety concerns for suppression activities.
Aviation: Air assets will support firefighters on the ground using water and retardant drops. Air assets include one Type 1 heavy helicopter and one light Type 3 helicopter, along with an assigned Air Attack for aerial reconnaissance of both the Black Butte and Glacier fires.
Weather and Air Quality: Temperatures will reach low 80’s today with northwest winds 15 miles per hour. Temperatures begin to increase Tuesday through Sunday, reaching 90 degrees by the weekend.
Closures: There are updated closure orders for the Big Creek Campground on the Malheur National Forest as of August 8, 2021. Go to the Forest webpage at www.fs.usda.gov/malheur or follow on Facebook.
NW 9 Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) transitioned with the High Desert Type 3 IMT on August 8 and NW9 is now managing the Black Butte and Glacier Fires.
