Moisture and cooler temperatures helped firefighters begin to stabilize the Flat fire in central Oregon after the blaze rapidly expanded across rugged terrain in Deschutes and Jefferson counties. About 1,200 firefighters are working the fire, which has destroyed four homes and remains only 5% contained despite protective lines around the perimeter. Officials ordered evacuations for more than 4,000 homes and lifted some orders. A heat advisory remained in effect and forecasters warned thunderstorms could create erratic winds. In northern California, the Pickett fire charred about 10 square miles of Napa County, reached 15% containment, and threatened vineyards while crews used bulldozers, air support and water-dropping helicopters to protect properties.
Moisture helped the 1,200 firefighters battling Oregon's Flat fire, but more work needed to be done, authorities said. Dry, hot weather had fueled a rapid expansion of the blaze across rugged terrain in Deschutes and Jefferson counties since the fire began late on Thursday. Gotta love mother nature. It brought in a little bit of rain. Cooled the temps, relative humidity came up, Travis Medema, the state's chief deputy state fire marshal, told a community meeting in the town of Sisters on Monday.
The incident, for the first time in the last three days, is really beginning to stabilize. Officials said firefighters had protective lines of some sort around the entire fire, including roads, but the fire remained at 5% containment. Authorities at one point ordered evacuations for more than 4,000 homes but lifted orders for some areas on Monday. A heat advisory was in place through Wednesday, and forecasters warned that potential thunderstorms could create erratic winds that would challenge firefighters.
Flames spared the home and adjacent vineyards of Jayson Woodbridge of Hundred Acre Wines, but he said it was a close call on Thursday when the fire broke out and raced along nearby slopes. He and his son grabbed hoses and futilely began spraying down the steep hillsides. The water was evaporating as fast as we were spraying it out there, Woodbridge said. It was just a hot funnel of air. Fire was just engulfing everything.
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