PRINEVILLE, Ore. – Throughout the day yesterday and overnight, firefighting crews continued to progress with mop up efforts around the entire perimeter of the fire, working 100 to 200 feet into the interior of the fire. Overnight, an infrared (IR) flight and crews using hand held infrared cameras identified hotspots remaining along the fire line.
Today, firefighters will address hot spots detected by the IR flight and IR cameras to ensure they are fully extinguished. Suppression repair on dozer lines will continue in order to prevent erosion and other long term resource impacts that result from fire suppression efforts.
More widespread rain showers are expected across the area today, and the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch which could impact the area. This presents a safety concern that firefighters are prepared to watch out for in order to stay safe on the line and in heading back to camp at the end of their shifts.
Highway 26 remains open; however, firefighters and heavy equipment are entering and exiting the roadway in multiple areas along the fire perimeter. Please drive with caution and slow down in the fire area to ensure firefighter and public safety.
Evacuations: Crook County Sheriff’s Office evacuation orders remain in place. An evacuation map is available on the Crook County Sheriff’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CrookCountySheriff/.
Local Area Closures: The U.S. Forest Service has implemented a temporary forest closure. For more information, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/ochoco/alerts/marks-creek-fire-area-closure.