Arrests threatened if people don’t evacuate as Bootleg fire in southern Oregon explodes

Klamath County Sheriff’s Deputies have started handing over citations and issued a stern warning that they could start arresting people who refuse to follow evacuation orders as the intense Bootleg fire continues to burn homes. national forests and threatens several small towns in southern Oregon.

The wildfire reached about 148,000 acres on Sunday afternoon after dangerous conditions on Saturday prompted firefighters to withdraw and move to safety zones. The teams were back on the fire lines on Sunday.

The fire is burning in the Fremont-Winema National Forest and on private land north of Sprague River and Beatty, approximately 45 miles northeast of Klamath Falls. The fire is contained at 0%.

On Sunday, fire officials extended a Level 3 evacuation zone (go now) to areas near unincorporated Beatty, with a population of around 120. The level 3 area extended north to the Scyan River region. It roughly covered the northern parts of Beatty and the northernmost rural part of Bly, around 500 inhabitants. Major parts of Beatty, Sprague River (about 600 people) and Bly were on Level 2 Evacuation Advisories (ready). South of Oregon 140, including the southern parts of Beatty and Bly, were at level 1 (be prepared).

About 1,200 single-family homes remain at risk, firefighters said.

The Medford National Weather Service has issued an alert saying the blaze is expected to grow dangerously and rapidly. “The blaze has doubled in size every day for the past three days,” the alert said. “If you live in or near an evacuation area, prepare to leave. No possession is worth your life.

As the firefighting and containment efforts continue throughout the day, fire officials are adding more teams to the night shift as the weather conditions are better to fight the blaze as well as to build containment lines, “firefighters said in a statement. “Crews are also working on structural yard, defensible space and protection. Following the significant growth in fires (Saturday), teams are looking for new locations for safe and effective primary and secondary containment lines throughout the fire perimeter.

The response has grown to 83 fire trucks and more than 900 firefighters, and more are on their way, said Rich Saalsaa, an information officer with the Oregon State Fire Marshal assigned to the Bootleg fire. Helicopters and planes were producing water and drops of retarder, officials said.

The trees, brush and other fuels in the area are so dry that embers can set them on fire immediately in direct sunlight and even shade, Saalsaa said.

“It’s a very scary fire,” he said. “It evolves so quickly that it creates its own meteorological climate.

The wildfire rose from 16,814 acres on Thursday to 47,554 acres on Friday, 76,897 acres on Saturday and 143,607 acres on Sunday morning. The cause remains under investigation.

On Saturday, “conditions were so extreme that firefighters had to disengage and move to predetermined safety zones,” fire officials said in an update. The “extreme behavior” led to a fire growth of four miles to the east and north, they said.

“The fire spread to Sycan Estates, crossed the east-west road, and burned an additional 8 miles along the high voltage power line corridor (for a total of 12 miles),” they said. declared. “Damage to structures and infrastructure is being assessed; some structures have been lost.

Due to the scale of the fire, the sheriff’s office could not confirm whether each person had been evacuated on Sunday morning. MPs continue to tour the area to make sure people are contacted, said Stacey Todd, Klamath County emergency management spokesperson.

She couldn’t remember a time the sheriff’s office warned of citations or non-evacuation arrests during a wildfire.

“I think the message got across that this is a very serious, unpredictable and very high risk fire for the region,” Todd said. “However, there are still people who prefer to stay. And that’s an unhealthy choice, but it’s still a choice. “

The sheriff’s office said on Saturday it was taking “the rare measure” to keep people out of Level 3 evacuation areas.

“We have advised people to evacuate in the past few days,” sheriff officials wrote in a statement. “Some have ignored these warnings and continue to travel within the restricted area.”

Officials said unnecessary traffic in the area east of Sprague River Road was hampering firefighting efforts. “There is a very high probability that we will not be able to reach you with additional warnings,” the statement read.

Todd said agencies across the state were helping with the wildfire.

“I was blown away by the incredible outpouring of support from all these different agencies in this very rural area,” she said.

Evacuation notice in case of contraband fire from Sunday morning:

Level 3 (go now):

• North of the town of Beatty. East side of Godowa Springs Road north of the OC and E trail to the Klamath County line
• Near the town of Sprague River. Upper Plateau north of Oregon Pines Road

Level 2 (loans):

• Near the town of Sprague River. Klamath Forrest Estates / Moccasin Hills Area
• West side of Godowa Springs Road, south of Oregon Pines Road and Tableland Road to the river

Level 1 (be prepared):

• Between Beatty and Bly, 3 miles south of Hwy 140, Yellow Jacket Springs to Fishhole Creek
• The area of ​​the intersection of Sprague River Road and Forbes Road extending east to Godowa Springs and Yellow Jacket Springs and south of the Sprague River 4 miles

In Douglas County, the Jack fire increased from about 2,000 acres west of Tokatee on Sunday to 10,937, or just over 17 square miles, according to the Marshal’s Blue Incident Team. Oregon State fires.

The fire was under 10% control by 11:30 a.m., according to the agency. Officials said about 781 people were actively fighting the blaze with 53 vehicles – four planes, five bulldozers and 44 engines. About 240 structures are currently at risk of the fire, the fire marshal said.

The fire has so far not affected any structure.

Smoke from the blaze has made the air unhealthy for sensitive groups in Shady Cove, Crater Lake and Tokatee, the fire marshal said.

Deputy Incident Commander Steve Hawkins said crews spent Sunday putting out the fire at its northwest corner towards a line of control, guarding it from the towns of Glide and Roseburg.

Forest Service campgrounds, including those at Apple Creek, Horseshoe Bend, and Eagle Rock, have been placed on Level 3 (go) evacuation orders. People who live near Fall Creek and residents of Illahee Road were under the same evacuation designation.

– Ardeshir Tabrizian; [email protected]; 503-929-3053; @ardytabrizian

– Eder Campuzano of the Oregonian / OregonLive staff contributed to this report.