Oregon: As Bootleg Fire passes 300,000 acres, more ready to evacuate

There are currently 80 large wildfires raging in 13 states across the US, burning more than 1.1 million acres, mostly in western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Montana has reported the most large wildfires with 18, and Idaho is close behind with 17, the NIFC said.

But the biggest fire is the Bootleg, which has been burning in the Fremont-Winema National Forest along the Oregon and California border since July 6. As of Monday morning, the fire has burned 303,791 acres with a containment of 25%, according to data from InciWeb, the US clearinghouse for wildfire information.

Hot temperatures have been making the blaze harder to tackle. “Weather’s really against us. It’s going to be hot, it’s going to be dry and air’s going to be unstable which helps the heat raise faster, which brings in more air. All things that are negative for firefighters and positive for fire. So it’s going to be a real battle today,” Operations Section Chief John Flannigan said during his Sunday morning briefing.

“We are experiencing extremely dry conditions with record to near record temperatures. Conditions on the ground due in part to the historic drought have accelerated the fire season. The combination of the weather and fuel conditions have led to rapid growth of the fire,” O’Hara said.

“The scope and scale of the Bootleg Fire will require a season ending weather event such as a significant storm that is either widespread wetting rain or snow, which in southern Oregon typically occurs in the late fall,” she said.

A fellow fire spokesman echoed the sentiment on their efforts to get control of the flames.

“There are some fires currently burning that … will only be extinguished by season ending snowfall,” fire spokesman Daniel Omdal said, noting the fires are being fed by high amounts of combustible timber, bush and grass combined with limited resources to extinguish flames.

“The Bootleg Fire may be one of those fires,” Omdal told CNN.

CNN meteorologist Michael Guy says the weather forecast for this week doesn’t look promising for any assistance with containment of the Bootleg Fire. Temperatures will still be about 10 to 15 degrees above normal, the drought is ongoing, and there’s the added risk from lightning and strong winds from dry thunderstorms.

‘Ready to leave at a moment’s notice’

The county warned residents in the Monument Rock area that they were at evacuation “level 2,” it said.

“You should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice as this level indicates there is a significant danger to your area, and residents should either voluntarily relocate to a shelter or with family/friends outside of the affected area. Residents may have time to gather necessary items, but doing so is at their own risk,” its guidance reads.

Meantime, residents of Picture Rock Pass, the Ana Subdivision, the communities of Summer Lake and Paisley, and south of Paisley along Clover Flat Road to Moss Pass were warned to be aware of “increased fire hazards in the surrounding area.”

Flights canceled

The wildfires have had a knock-on transport effect, with fuel supply issues causing flight cancellations at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Montana, according to airport director Brian Sprenger.

“Each airline provides their own fuel through their providers but today, some have had their fuel delivery delayed due to increased fire suppression needs throughout the West that has diminished supply in Montana in an already tight fuel environment,” Sprenger said in an email to CNN Sunday.

“This is a challenge in various parts of the nation and particularly in areas of the country that have seen the economy and tourism recover more quickly. Another contributing factor is the shortage of transport drivers in the nation and high demand in the pipelines for other fuel types as well such as diesel and gasoline,” Sprenger said.