UPDATE: (June 21, 9:25am): The Oregon Department of Forestry say the Bryant Fire has grown to 1,250 acres and is 5% contained.
Bonanza, Ore. (Original: June 20, 1:45 pm) — A wildfire burning southeast of Bonanza has now grown to over a square mile in size.
The ‘Bryant’ fire was sparked at around 2 Thursday afternoon in the Bryant Mountain area.
“We had a logging operation up there.” Explains Bonanza Fire Chief Bob Tyree. “And so we got a liner around it with the skidder, but it was so hot, stuff was blowing up, and it went downhill from there.”
Jake Barnett of the Oregon Department of Forestry notes that the fire grew quickly, and continued to spread overnight…
“As of right now, the Bryant fire estimated acreage is 800 acres, burning in timber on private forest land.”
The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Greg Pittman adds that firefighters are battling steep terrain, heavy fuels, and limited access…
“We’re getting spotting up to a quarter mile around all sides of the fire – the fire is actively burning on all sides of it.”
Air tankers and helicopters have been busy targeting hot spots on the fire.
Barnett says those air crews are working closely in conjunction with ground crews…
“We’re looking at probably close to 150 personnel on the fire itself, that includes different types of apparatus, along with heavy equipment.”
Pittman notes that a state fire team will take over management of the Bryant fire this evening…
“We are calling in an incident management team. It’s a group of folks that are used to dealing with complex situations like this.”
No homes have been evacuated, but crews are keeping a close eye on several structures in the area.
Jake Barnett says crews are still working to get a line around the fire…
“So at this time, there is no containment on the fire.”
The fire is burning on privately owned forest land.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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