The Cedar Creek Fire has burned for six weeks and has blackened 92,596 acres, drawing a massive response.
“We have 92 engines, 39 crews, 113 types of heavy equipment, and 19 helicopters working on the fire,” said Joan Kluwe, Public Information Officer for the Alaska Incident Management Team.
The current total cost to fight the fire, maintain and operate the machinery and take care of the personnel: $57,946,000
RELATED: Cedar Creek Fire: Deschutes National Forest closure expands
Wanoga Sno-Park on the way to Mount Bachelor is being used as a staging area for just some of these resources.
“All the equipment comes in here, gets checked in and gets inspected before it goes out to the fire,” Kluwe said. “It’s on standby here until it gets assigned to work.”
Crews use yurts as bases of operations to coordinate the movement of the equipment.
“So we have all our drop points on the maps,” Alaska Team Ground Support Unit Leader Dane Smigleski said. “So when operations calls staging, they let them know ‘Hey, we need a masticator at drop point 640.’ So we’ll go ahead and set it down where it needs to go.”
RELATED: Fire crews anticipate weekend rain will help fight Cedar Creek Fire
The Cedar Creek Fire is expected to burn until a season-ending event occurs. In other words, a weather occurrence when a substantial amount of rain or snowfall is able to douse the flames. These kinds of weather patterns usually begin in Central Oregon in early October.
Shaded fuel breaks along Cascade Lakes Highway
One way firefighters are working to protect communities and improve fire lines is with shaded fuel breaks along the Cascade Lakes Highway.
Fire managers say it works as an indirect containment away from the fire perimeter.
Firefighters get rid of fire hazards on the side of the highway. When finished, it can help stop the fire from spreading east.
