The Rattlesnake Fire burning near Moody Farm on the Warm Springs Reservation ballooned from 5 acres to nearly 5,000 acres in less than 24 hours.
Crews do not have any containment on the blaze burning along the Deschutes River.
Warm Springs fire crews were challenged protecting homes from the wind-driven fire in 100+ degree heat.
“There were two houses in the area,” said Javin Dimmick, PIO for Warm Springs Wildland. “They did a really good job of protecting those. We did lose one of the resident’s corrals, a horse corral.”
The fire jumped the Deschutes River near an area known as South Junction.
It raced up the eastern canyon wall and onto the plateau through dry grass, brush and juniper trees on BLM lands.
A view of the #RattlesnakeFire between South Junction and Trout Creek. Firefighters are working to secure fire lines by burning off of existing roads.
Photo by Jon Lent pic.twitter.com/JdY0t9kZot
— Central OR Fire Info (@CentralORFire) July 2, 2021
The South Junction Road and Campground are closed to give firefighters rooms to work.
“There is a Level 2 evacuation, Get Set, Be Ready to Go at a Moment’s Notice, at Trout Creek Campground,” said Kassidy Kern, PIO for Central Oregon Fire Management Service. “That was issued recently by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.”
Fire officials recommend avoiding the area between Trout Creek and South Junction including rafting through that stretch on the Deschutes River.
Six air tankers, a heavy helicopter and dozens of firefighters from multiple agencies are responding.
The cause of the Rattlesnake Fire is under investigation. There was no lightning reported in that area yesterday.
There have been six fires on the reservation over the past 12 days.
Most are under investigation.
