PHOTOS/VIDEOS: A fast moving fire that had led to thousands of people being under evacuation notices over the weekend in Central Oregon has slowed its march. Fire crews announced Monday they are quickly building fire lines around the southern edge of the Flat Fire, where it had been moving toward the town of Sisters, according to Eric Perkins, the operations section chief for Oregon Department of Forestry Section 3.
โEarly on in this fire, that area was at risk but we have stopped the forward progression,โ Perkins said in a video update. โLots of structures in along this southern end of the fire as it moves into town … that fire isnโt moving anymore. Weโre securing the control line, starting to mop it in, and feel pretty comfortable about where weโre at.โ
The Flat Fire started last Thursday just west of the town of Culver. As of Monday morning, it had destroyed four homes and six other structures. Nearly 4,000 homes in Deschutes and Jefferson counties are still under some level of evacuation notice. The Deschutes County Sheriffโs Office has warned that the number of destroyed or damaged structures may change as more assessments are completed.
The fire grew to more than 20,000 acres by Sunday night. Around 1,200 staff had joined by Monday to work the fire, which stood at around 5% contained. More than 800 residents were still under Level 3 โGo Now!โ evacuation warnings. โThereโs definitely a lot of anxiety with this fire. It grew very quickly and spread very quickly. Itโs challenging terrain,โ said Brett Deedon, a public information officer. โBut at the same time, I think thereโs still a lot of gratitude for the work the firefighters were able to do.โ Following the firefighting efforts over the weekend, more than 800 homes were still standing in or near โthe black,โ Deedon said, meaning they were in the fireโs burn area but had not burned due to the massive fire suppression effort.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it has authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Flat Fire. It comes after the state submitted a request for a declaration under FEMAโs Fire Management Assistance Grant. According to FEMA, this is the fifth grant declaration to help fight wildfires in Oregon so far this year.
