Image provided by: Oregon Historical Society; Portland, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1983)
Page 8 July 29,1983 Spilyay Tymoo Fire blackens 9,254 reservation acres h Ü ■ * i fj r * ' * < \ ■ lilt M * - * * **$*>s. ' ' S !S i ■ by Pat Leno H ot tem peratures, high winds and an over abundance of tall, dried wildgrasses made conditions just right for a fire, and on July 22, the largest fire of this year and last year, raged through the Dry Creek area. The cause of the fire is under investigation but it is suspected that kids camping at Dry Creek on the Warm Springs River lost control of their camp fire, H JX>& B ■ ■ B HI Spilyay Tymoo photo by Leno Bucket brigade SB 1 I111 S i ■ÉÈÌ , '■gB f i Spilyay Tymoo photo by Leno Chow time Jj ■ i S 9 B iB l according to Walt Sixkiller, BIA fire management officer. The fire, was reported at 12:08 p.m. by two reservation lookouts and fire fighting crews worked for 18 hours to control the fire. A total of 350 fire fighters, coming from as far away as the Burns and U matilla R e se rv a tio n s, fo u g h t the burning sagebrush, juniper and grass. The fire covered a total area of 9,254 acres. Friday afternoon, the fire threatened the homes and trailers in the Dry Creek area. Late Friday evening, the fire th r e a te n e d th e C a th o lic Church and housing in the Miller Heights area. The fire supression crews, at times, were working against a fire that was estimated to be traveling 10 miles an hour. The high winds on Friday evening forced the fire th ro u g h the Agency Cemetery but the cemetery suffered no serious damage. It was reported a pumper truck had been destoryed but the truck received only minor damage. No livestock was injured, or lost in the fire. Traffic on Highway #26 was stopped at Bear Springs and Madras and rerouted through Maupin and Pine Grove on Friday afternoon due to the heavy smoke. Four helicopters were used to carry water to hotspots in the fire. Twenty-four tankers were used on the fire, those tankers were from the Forest Service, the State, BLM, W SFPI, BIA, North Unit volunteers from Madras, W.S. Fire and Safety and one privately owned tanker. Mop-up operations should be completed within th enext few days, stated Sixkiller. ■' MBB» Iti ■ > 11 ■ T • g ill: 88g ■ Photo courtesy of Stoney Milter Raging fire M l ■ ■ H B I j B f 5' a g g i« * - 's* '-- \ ■ I Aftermath « B l - ' I •(111 I H '• I Spityay Tymoo photo by Leno i t ’s moving north Photo courtesy of Stoney Miller
