If you don t leave, you re dead : Oregon wildfire forces hundreds from homes
By Deborah Bloom and Sergio Olmos
Reuters
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (Reuters) -A swiftly spreading wildfire raged through drought-parched timber and brush in south-central Oregon for a ninth day on Wednesday, threatening nearly 2,000 homes and displacing hundreds of residents with little sign of slowing, officials said.
The so-called Bootleg fire had blackened more than 212,000 acres (85,793 hectares) by morning, destroying 21 homes and 54 other structures, with firefighters managing to hack containment lines around just 5% of its perimeter, according to state and federal authorities.
Ranking easily as the largest of at least 10 active wildfires burning across the Pacific Northwest, the Bootleg has spread mostly unchecked in and around the Fremont-Winema National Forest, about 250 miles (400 km) south of Portland, since erupting July 6.
SPR s Doug Nadvornick reports.
Fire crews in the Northwest are bracing for more winds Wednesday evening as they battle wildfires that are burning hundreds of thousands of acres of parched land.
The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center is tracking at least 15 major fires in Washington and Oregon. Others are burning in Idaho.
At several of those, fire bosses say they’ve had windows of calm weather that allowed crews to dig fire lines and stop flames from advancing. But the forecast calls for gusty winds to return in many areas. A Red Flag warning is in effect for most of eastern and central Washington.
Evacuations expand in Oregon as fire spreads erratically
Associated Press
Updated:
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In this photo provided by the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshall, flames and smoke rise from the Bootleg fire in southern Oregon on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The largest fire in the U.S. on Wednesday was burning in southern Oregon, to the northeast of the wildfire that ravaged a tribal community less than a year ago. The lightning-caused Bootleg fire was encroaching on the traditional territory of the Klamath Tribes, which still have treaty rights to hunt and fish on the land, and sending huge, churning plumes of smoke into the sky visible for miles. (John Hendricks/Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal via AP)
Northwest Interagency Coordination Center
Originally published on July 15, 2021 8:53 am
The largest wildfire in the U.S. continues to grow and threaten homes in southern Central Oregon. With high temperatures and winds forecast Wednesday, the National Weather Service has issued red-flag warnings for much of Eastern and Central Oregon. The teams that coordinate wildfire response in the Pacific Northwest are now at their highest alert level as agencies seek to share resources and balance competing priorities. New fires continue to pop up. And then there’s the wildfire smoke. And a new brushfire south of Portland closed a highway and prompted fresh evacuations early Wednesday evening.
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