A18
News & Sports
Blue Mountain Eagle
FIRE
Continued from Page A1
“It was so close,” he said.
“It happened so fast, and it was
so big. You look back and just
wonder how did it not burn the
house.”
Aundrea Larson, her husband
Chris, and two children were
among those staying at Lands Inn
when the ¿ re started. 7he family,
along with Aundrea’s parents, are
building a cabin farther up Dick
Creek Road as an escape from
the hustle and bustle of city life.
Larson said they had just
finished cooling off in the
John Day River and went to
Dayville for ice cream when
they saw smoke coming off
Sugarloaf Mountain.
“We got that sinking feel-
ing,” she said. “We knew it
was close. Unfortunately,
our worst fears were con-
firmed.”
Larson said they came
back as quickly as they could
up the winding dirt road with
just enough time to gather
their things and warn a few
more neighbors. 7hey spent
the night in John Day, and
didn’t sleep a wink.
“At first, you’re just wor-
ried about everybody’s place
burning down,” she said.
“We, really truly, had a lot
less to lose. People up there
have houses and cabins. You
just feel for them.”
7he response from the
neighbors was remarkable,
Larson said. With extensive
knowledge of the area, Buce
was able to draw a map for
firefighters. Craig Merkord,
who also lives nearby, stayed
up all night doing burn backs
and directing firefighters.
A portion of the Sugar-
loaf Fire also burned about
55 acres onto the John Day
Fossil Beds National Monu-
ment. 7hen, just a few days
later, a second fire began
in the park around the Blue
Basin 2verlook 7rail which
burned up fencing, part of
a retaining wall and threat-
ened an historic home.
Several power poles were
also damaged, knocking out
power to the entire Sheep
Rock Unit.
7he Blue Basin Fire is un-
der investigation as possibly
human-caused. Mike Rubin,
chief of facility management
for the park, fighting fire in
the park can be tricky be-
cause they try not to use bull-
do]ers or ¿ re retardant that
could damage fossils.
Fire is fairly common at
the park, he said, especial-
ly given the current drought
conditions.
“7he big thing to keep in
mind is just to pay attention to
the ¿ re danger levels and plan
accordingly,” Rubin said.
With the Sugarloaf Fire
now contained, the big em-
phasis is on Corner Creek Fire
— by far the largest right now
in 2regon. 7hat bla]e has al-
ready destroyed one hunting
cabin and crept up on local
ranches.
Brian Ballou, ¿ re informa-
tion of¿ cer with the 2regon
Department of Forestry, said
the ¿ re is just 15 percent con-
tained though conditions have
improved which should help
¿ re¿ ghters.
“It’s sure looking a lot
better now than it did last Fri-
day,” Ballou said.
Larson said the community
is thankful for the hard work of
the ¿ re¿ ghters to keep everyone
safe.
“I can guarantee you there
was a lot of praying going on,”
she said. “7here were no lives
lost and nobody’s home lost. We
have a lot to be thankful for.”
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com or
541-564-4547.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Corner Creek, West Fork ¿ res still have life
Fire updates as
of Tuesday, July 7
7he Blue Mountain Eagle
Corner Creek Fire
7he Corner Creek Fire
continues to burn actively
on the west side of the South
Fork John Day River, about
11 miles south of Dayville.
7he ¿ re was mapped over
the weekend and is at 27,166
burned acres since the ¿ re
started June 2. 7he ¿ re grew
slightly since Monday, July
6, due to the ¿ re line reloca-
tion and burnout operations
along the ¿ re’s western À ank.
A lightning strike in the Black
Canyon Wilderness was de-
termined as the cause. 7he ¿ re
is 15 percent contained.
7here are 1,100 total per-
sonnel working on the ¿ re
and crews continue to secure
lines and mop up hot spots
within the ¿ re line. 7he crews
are holding and patrolling the
¿ re along the South Fork John
Day River and road.
Helicopters and air tankers
worked on the south and west
À anks over the weekend with
cooling water and retardant
drops to help ¿ re¿ ghters keep
¿ re growth to a minimum due
to winds pushing the blaze
against ¿ re lines.
Oregon Department of
Forestry Incident Manage-
ment 7eam 1 is working to
transition management of this
¿ re over to the Oregon Inter-
agency Incident Management
7eam 2, headed by Incident
Commander Brett Fillis,
who will assume command
Wednesday, July 8.
A hunting cabin was de-
stroyed by the ¿ re, while oth-
er structures have been pro-
tected, including the Rockpile
Ranch.
Contributed photo
A plane dumps retardant as it flies over the West Fork Fire on July 6. The fire,
burning on the north slope of the Aldrich Mountain Range, has scorched over
300 acres.
7he total cost, as of July 7,
for the Corner Creek Fire is
$4,300,000.
Road and forest closures:
7he South Fork Road
County Road 42 from Day-
ville to U.S. Forest Service
58 Road junction is closed to
the general public due to fire
activity. Local traffic should
drive with caution due to
heavy fire-related traffic.
7he 58 Road and 5820 Road
are also closed due to active
burning in the vicinity. A
forest closure has been is-
sued for part of the Ochoco
National Forest near the
Corner Creek Fire, including
the Black Canyon Wilder-
ness. Mud Springs and Fra-
zier Campgrounds are closed
to the public.
The West Fork Fire
7he West Fork Fire, burn-
ing on the north slope of the
Aldrich Mountain range, is
estimated at 310 acres the
afternoon of 7uesday, July 7,
with growth toward the west.
7he ¿ re is located in the for-
mer 7horn Fire, part of the
Shake 7able Complex that
burned a total of 14,527 acres
in August 2006.
7he ¿ re was reported Mon-
day, June 29, and held through
Saturday, July 4, when winds
pushed the ¿ re past retardant
lines.
7he Malheur National
Forest 7ype 3 7eam, the local
home unit, took over the ¿ re
Monday, July 6. 7he Incident
Commander is Kevin Brock.
7hunderstorms with high
winds were expected over the
¿ re 7uesday evening, July 7,
with a signi¿ cant amount of
lightning that could cause the
¿ re to spread.
A few helicopters assigned
to the Corner Creek Fire were
used Monday, July 6, to cool
down the West Fork Fire on
the Malheur National Forest.
Fire crews, using heavy
equipment and air support, are
working to build lines around
the ¿ re, preparing for poten-
tial burnout operations and
to keep ¿ re growth to a min-
imum. Crews are focused on
keeping the ¿ re from crossing
over onto private property and
strengthening the east À ank of
the ¿ re.
Also assigned to the ¿ re
are ¿ ve 20-person crews, one
tender, four falling modules,
two skidgines, two dozers,
one masticator and 11 miscel-
laneous overhead.
Deputy Fire Staff 7odd
*regory said Monday, “7he
team is currently working on
a full containment strategy.”
Sugarloaf Fire
7he Sugarloaf Fire, 8
miles north of Dayville, is
currently 98 percent con-
tained with 4,740 burned
acres. Patrol and mop up
continue on the Sugarloaf
Fire and the 100 percent con-
tained Blue Basin Fire while
watching areas around struc-
tures.
7here are 174 personnel
still assigned to the ¿ re. Fire
personnel and equipment not
needed on the Sugarloaf Fire
are being reassigned to the
Corner Creek Fire.
7he total cost, as of July
7, for the Sugarloaf Fire is
$3,200,000.
7here were no new ¿ res re-
ported over the Fourth of July
weekend in Grant County.
P u ll e d P o
rk & H o t
L in k s ! $ 2
.0 0 o ff
w it h c o d e
wo
“ P a u l B u n rd
yan”
OPEN
Tue-Sat 11am to 8pm
(Closed Sun and Mon)
“Downtown” Seneca
541-542-2819
Your Rural Fa mily Health Clinic
Grant County
HEALTH
Department
528 E. Main, St. E,
John Day
Monday - Friday
8am - 5pm
Services Provided:
Karen Triplett, FNP
• Primary Care
• Acute Care
• Women’s Health
Exams
• Men and
Children Exams
• Immunizations
• Family Planning
• Contraception
• Pregnancy Testing &
Referrals
• HIV Testing &
Referrals
• Cacoon
• WIC
• High Risk Infants
• Maternity Case
Management
Grant County Health Department does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin,
disability, or age in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activitie s, or in employment.
Appointments
available
Call and schedule your
appointment today!
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
TOLL FREE
888-443-9104
or 541-575-0429
Hermiston’s Alex Pollock misses the tag on Grant County’s Madi McKrola at home plate on June 30 in
Irrigon.
g
n
i
h
s
i
F
t
s
e
B CONTEST
C
O
T
in !
w
o
t
s
e
PHO
c
n
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h
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W ith two or grand prize
wee G k o ly fishing in G rant C ounty, and
send in photos from your experience.
You Could
WIN $10 WEEKLY OR
$100 GRAND PRIZE
STATE
Continued from Page A9
County Senior League Soft-
ball team ended up winning
state and advancing to re-
gionals in Montana where
they lost in the first round
of games.
Shaine Madden and Bri-
anna Zweygardt combined
on the mound for the victo-
ry in all three games during
districts.
In Game One, Grant
County beat out Hermiston 19
- 1 and in the semi¿ nal game
against Columbia ended 6 - 4
after Grant County came back
in the ¿ fth inning to score four
runs and take the lead for good.
On offense, Grant County
had 32 total hits for the tour-
nament and scored 40 runs.
Kaylee Wright was 10 for 12
for the tournament, followed
by Hailie Wright who was 4
for 8.
Grant County’s Junior state
tournament will begin July 11
in Pilot Rock with six teams
in the division. 7he team plays
both Saturday, July 11 and
Sunday, July 12 at 4:30 p.m.
Open to all amateur photographers.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has stocked
some big ones in local lakes and waterways this summer.
This is your chance to catch supper and maybe win a
prize, in the 2015 Best Fishing Photo Contest sponsored
by the Blue Mountain Eagle, Boyd Britton Welding and
Prairie Springs Fish Farm.
• Photos will be judged for quality, content, viewer appeal.
Remember, it’s not the biggest fish – but the best fishing
photo that takes the prize!
• Photos must be taken this summer in Grant County.
• Digital format is best - e-mail to kristina@bmeagle.com or bring
in a disc to the Eagle office, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day.
• Deadline for submissions: Sep. 21, 2015 for the grand prize.
Fisherman’s Name:__________________________________________
Where the fish was caught:____________________Date taken: _________
Fish Species:____________________Weight & Length________________
Contact phone number:_______________________
Contact e-mail address:________________________________
For more info, call the Eagle, 541-575-0710 – and happy fishing!
A MAN
WAKES
UP in the
morning
after sleeping on...
an advertised bed, in advertised
pajamas.
7he team needs to win at least
one of the pool play games to
make it into bracket play 7ues-
day, July 13.
Zach Williams has been
coaching the girls for the past
six years with the help of
Mike Strong, 7ammy Clark
and Lance Zweygardt.
“I have been proud of the
girls all season long for how
hard they worked to reach
their goals. Everyone con-
tributed this week in winning
the district tournament,” Wil-
liams said. “It was a great
team victory. 7his is an ex-
tremely talented group of
girls with a lot of potential.
I feel really good about our
chances at the state tourna-
ment.”
If Grant County wins
state, they would be eligible
for the July 22-30 regional
tournament in 7uscon, Ariz.
He will bathe in an ADVERTISED TUB, shave with an ADVERTISED RAZOR,
have a breakfast of ADVERTISED JUICE, cereal and toast, toasted in an
ADVERTISED TOASTER, put on ADVERTISED CLOTHES and glance at his
ADVERTISED WATCH. He’ll ride to work in his ADVERTISED CAR, sit at an
ADVERTISED DESK and write with an ADVERTISED PEN. Yet this person
hesitates to advertise, saying that advertising doesn’t pay. Finally, when his
non-advertised business is going under, HE’LL ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE.
Then it’s too late.
AND THEY SAY ADVERTISING DOESN’T WORK?
DON’T MAKE THIS SAME MISTAKE
Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Think about it!
Blue Mountain Eagle
MyEagleNews.com
Don’t get left behind, call today! Kim Kell 541-575-0710
MyEagleNews.com