It was enough for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to classify Salem’s air quality as “unhealthy”. Crews are also dealing with another wildfire burning up Dixie Mountain four miles north of Prairie City.
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“It hit the fine fuels of the grass areas and just took off”, said Erik Pronold, a spokesman for fire crews.
Still, many evacuation alerts have been downgraded and people are returning to their homes after days away.
The Grizzly Bear Complex, which blew up on the Umatilla National Forest along the Oregon-Washington border and destroyed three houses in Troy, is now seventh.
An increase in onshore winds late yesterday afternoon pushed the fire toward the southeast, outside of the containment line that had been constructed, according to a news release from the Oregon Department of Forestry.
On Thursday The Jerrys Draw Fire started near Prairie City just northeast of the Canyon Creek Complex, it is now being considered part of that wildfire. The blaze had burned about 200 acres. Its cause is under investigation.
That fire has grown to 240 acres, but fire officials say it’s too far away to connect with the larger blaze near John Day.
The blaze was about 13 percent contained, at least 700 structures remained threatened, and evacuation orders continued.
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Fire information officer Damon Simmons said the situation is evaluated daily, sometimes several times per day, to make sure resources are assigned to where they’re most needed.
