Forest roads to reopen near Sheridan Fire
Published 9:11 am Tuesday, July 11, 2017
- Ryan Brennecke / The BulletinA group of bikers ride along a path near the Deschutes River near the Sunriver airport to get a better view of the Sheridan Fire, burning west of Sunriver on Deschutes National Forest land. The fire prompted Level 1 evacuation notices for a nearby fish hatchery and a subdivision. Firefighters planned to work through the night to contain the fire, which had already charred 360 acres of mostly lodgepole forest.
The Sheridan Fire near Sunriver has been held to 200 acres and fire officials plan to reopen forest roads at 8 a.m. Monday, according to a news release.
Fire officials also announced Sunday that several fires in Central Oregon are being investigated as potential cases of arson. No details were released about which fires may have been intentionally started.
The Naational Weather Service also issued a Red Flag Warning Sunday for Central Oregon while forecasting gusty winds and low humidity. The warning is given when there are weather conditions that may cause fires to break out and spread quickly.
The Deschutes National Forest plans to reopen Forest Road 40 and Forest Road 45 Monday as well as the Besson Day Use Area. The Sheridan Fire started Wednesday about 2 miles west of Sunriver. The area near the Sheridan Fire will remain closed as crews continue to work on containment.
The Wanoga and Edison sno-parks remain closed for firefighters to use as staging areas for equipment and crews.
Sommer Moyer, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service, said the Sheridan Fire is 60 percent contained. Crews were working hard to clear hazard trees along the forest roads Sunday so that they could be reopened, she said.
“The fire is looking really good,” Moyer said. “There are little to no hot spots at this point.”
The Pine Mountain Fire east of Bend began Friday night and quickly spread by Saturday morning. Crews have the fire held at about 252 acres and it is 60 percent contained, according to Lisa Clark, a spokeswoman with the Bureau of Land Management.
The cause of both fires are under investigation. Fire officials said Oregon State Police and other agencies are investigation several fires in Central Oregon that might have been arson related, according to a news release.
Fire officials are urging the public to report activity on public lands that may be suspicious by calling Oregon State Police at 503-375-3555 or 911 if it’s an emergency.