One of the first major wildfires of the season in Oregon had reached 42,000 acres and was 45 percent contained Wednesday afternoon.
The Willowcreek Fire, burning near the town of Vale along the Oregon-Idaho border. The fire is burning in sagebrush and heavy grass.
Firefighters made significant progress through the day. It had been at zero percent containment Wednesday morning.
“We did some strategic ignitions between dozer lines and the fire which increased containment,” Vale Deputy Fire Management Office Jonathan Dunbar said in a statement. “The lines to the north are holding and we’ll continue to patrol and monitor tonight.”
The fire reportedly began on private land Tuesday afternoon. The cause is under investigation. No structures are threatened and there have been no evacuations ordered.
The fire temporarily closed Interstate 84 for hours due to smoke. The freeway was back open Wednesday afternoon, but Google Maps was still showing it closed.
RELATED: Deschutes County issues public use restrictions to reduce fire risk
RELATED: Target shooting sparks weekend fire east of Sisters amid dry conditions
RELATED: Bend fire a reminder of dangers of vegetation near train tracks
