While firefighters at the Black Crater and Maxwell fires continued battling blazes Sunday, firefighters contained the Wolfe Pointe II Fire near Warm Springs and expected to contain the Elk Lake Fire Sunday night.

Cooler temperatures and higher humidity aided firefighters at the 4,300-acre Maxwell Fire burning in the Ochoco National Forest over the weekend, but the fire continued to grow slowly and was about 20 percent contained Sunday night.

Fire officials determined Sunday afternoon the cause of the fire was a lightning strike.

”We found the striked tree and shattered debris around it today,” said Kathleen Kavalok, information officer on the fire, which started July 24.

The fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain with lots of heavy fuels, and dead and fallen timber in the Bridge Creek Wilderness area six miles southwest of Mitchell. The terrain and fuel type makes it difficult for firefighters to safely fight the fire, Kavalok said.

”We had a pretty good day,” Kavalok said. ”With the increased crews and dozers, we’re having success.”

Several roads and campgrounds in the fire’s vicinity were closed. They are the Allen Creek Horse Camp and Scott Camp, the Forest Service boundary between 450 Road and 22 Road, and roads 450, 2630 and 150. The 22 Road is open, but the area north and west along the road is closed to the public, according to a fire news release.

Personnel on the fire includes 21 crews, 11 dozers, 13 water tenders and two helicopters.

A tanker drop on Saturday helped prevent the fire from spreading over a ridge, Kavalok said, and the Mitchell Watersource is no longer in danger from the fire.

For more information about the Maxwell Fire, call 800-941-7530.

The 4,129-acre Wolfe Pointe II fire near the Warm Springs Reservation was 100 percent contained Sunday night, and fire officials began removing resources from the fire, said Ken Lydy, assistant fire manager for the Warm Springs fire management.

The cause of the fire hadn’t been determined yet but was suspicious, Lydy said.

Several other suspicious fires have started this summer already, Lydy previously told The Bulletin. But fire officials don’t know if they are related, he said.

The Wolfe Pointe II fire began Thursday and quickly burned through the sage and juniper grasses and pine trees, Lydy said. A total of three crews and 17 engines from multiple agencies battled the blaze, he said.

One crew and seven engines will remain on the blaze Monday to put out any small spot fires, Lydy said.

The 81-acre Elk Lake Fire was 90 percent contained by Sunday morning and fire officials expected the lightning-caused fire to be completely contained Sunday night, according to a fire news release Sunday morning.

Officials couldn’t be reached Sunday evening.

All closures associated with the fire were to be lifted at 9 p.m. Sunday. They were state Highway 46 (Cascades Lakes Highway) between the Quinn Meadow and Lava Lake junctions; Elk Lake and Six Lakes trailheads; Elk Lake, Little Fawn and Point campgrounds; Sunset View and Beach day use areas at Elk Lake; and Mallard Marsh and South campgrounds at Lake Hosmer.

Crews removed fire equipment from the fire and began mop-up and rehabilitation efforts Sunday, including the construction of water bars, recontouring of displaced soils and the scattering of natural materials, according to the release.