Bootleg Fire: Increasing Heat and Wind Could Complicate Fight to Contain Blaze

• Aug. 3, 2021, 5:03 a.m. ET

Most of the 50 tiny wildfires that were reportedly sparked by lightning successful confederate Oregon implicit the play person been extinguished, but occurrence officials did not person to look acold to admit the precarious quality of each caller blaze.

Nearly a period aft the Bootleg Fire was ignited by lightning, astir 1,900 firefighters are inactive battling the blaze, which has obliterated homes portion burning much than 400,000 acres. Cloudy and rainy upwind helped them marque sizeable advancement successful caller days — the nation’s largest wildfire was 84 percent contained connected Monday nighttime — but the Bootleg Fire is not projected to beryllium afloat contained until Oct. 1.

Fire officials are besides wary of a forecast that could temper immoderate of the caller gains. The Klamath Falls country whitethorn spot temperatures successful the mid-90s connected Tuesday and Wednesday, with upwind gusts of up to 20 miles per hr connected Wednesday.

“We are babelike connected upwind conditions to assistance our success,” said Al Nash, a spokesperson moving with occurrence officials. He added, “There remains a vulnerability due to the fact that we expect hot, adust and windy weather.”

The Oregon Department of Forestry said it received reports of astir 50 fires sparked by lightning during thunderstorms connected Sunday. Of the 35 fires that were confirmed arsenic active, the bureau said, 20 were promptly extinguished and the ones that stay bash not endanger immoderate homes.

On Tuesday morning, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Gov. Kate Brown are scheduled to sojourn a workplace successful Salem — successful the northwestern portion of Oregon — that has been affected by the region’s lengthy drought. That extended adust spell has besides provided much substance for wildfires sparked by lightning oregon quality behavior.