Fire fighting resources are stretched between two wildfires burning in Central Oregon.
Firefighters made good progress on the 4,802-acre Sugarloaf Fire, near the John Day Fossil Beds. The lightning-caused fire is now 40 percent contained, but the Corner Creek Fire south of Dayville continues to spread. The blaze grew to more than 6,000 acres in two days.
"No doubt it's a significant fire," said Brian Ballou, a public information officer for both the Sugarloaf and the Corner Creek fires. Ballou said fire managers are devoting aerial resources to suppressing the Corner Creek fire until they can bring in additional crews.
"Firefighting resources are getting a little bit stretched in the West, so we're trying to get the proper balance here because we do not want to lose all the progress that we've made on Sugarloaf," he said. "We do not want the one that's south of Dayville to continue to make large runs."
Ballou said the Corner Creek Fire poses a threat to several ranches along the South Fork of the John Day River, but so far no evacuations have been ordered. The fire is burning on mostly public land in the Ochoco National Forest.
Hot, dry weather and high winds continue to challenge fire suppression efforts. High temperatures are expected throughout Oregon for the rest of the week.
Ballou expects a total of 600 to 700 firefighters will be assigned to both fires by the end of the week.
"The more people we have, the more people can work around the clock, both on day shift and night shift," said Ballou.
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