Cougar Peak Fire 6% contained

LAKE COUNTY, Ore. –Favorable weather that helped crews make progress fighting a wildfire in Lake County is expected to stick around for a couple of days. But after that, more active fire behavior is expected.

The Forest Service said the Cougar Peak Fire was found at about 1:45 p.m. on September 7 approximately 15 miles northwest of Lakeview and about 1.5 miles east of Cottonwood Campground. By 4:30 p.m., it was estimated to be 60 acres in size and growing rapidly. An evening update sent out just before 10:00 p.m. put the fire at about 1,500 acres.

By noon Wednesday, fire managers estimated the fire was more than 3,200 acres in size. An update sent at about 10:00 p.m. put the fire at 20,000 acres.

Thursday night, the fire was estimated to be 37,000 acres in size with 0% containment. By Friday morning, that number skyrocketed to 83,339 acres.

Friday evening, growth of the wildfire slowed due to significant rainfall. By Monday morning, the Cougar Peak Fire was estimated to be 86,170 acres.

The moderated fire behavior allowed the Office of the Oregon State Fire Marshal to complete a damage assessment Sunday. It found four structures and six outbuildings were burned.

Cooler weather allowed resources to make substantial progress fighting the fire. For the next couple of days, minimal fire behavior is expected. But after that, gusty winds are expected to contribute to active surface fire with long-range spotting and a high probability of ignition. The fire is 6% contained.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office evacuation levels remain at Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 evacuations in and around the Cougar Peak Fire. Visit https://www.lakecountyor.org/ for the latest evacuation map.

For more details, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7835/

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