Longview Hills @ Newport Oregon

Fire getting restless

By Eric Dolson

3 p.m. Saturday - The Black Crater Fire seems to be getting restless again. A large column of new white smoke billowed thousands of feet into the sky just as an inversion began to lift.

Despite what some called "major activity" by the fire and the fact it was getting closer to Tollgate, no evacuation order had been issued for Tollgate by 3 p.m. There has been some discussion of closing off some areas north of the McKenzie Highway 242, but no decision on that has been reached.

The inversion, where warm air and smoke are trapped close to the ground, has kept air tankers on the tarmac at the Redmond Air Center. With smoke lying close and blanketing the fire, crews are not able to see where to drop fire retardant.

The three or four tankers, officials at the Incident Command Center in Sisters were not sure, will join four helicopters already on the blaze. Two large Chinook helicopters from the Oregon National Guard, along with two national guard units, were expected at the scene later today.

As of Friday, there were 513 total firefighters on the fire, including three hotshot crews. That number has grown today and is expected to increase as more resources are sent to Sisters.

A "Type 1" team to manage the firefighting was expected later on Saturday. These are "the most experienced firefighters in the nation," according to Kevin Foss of the Forest Service. Type 1 teams deal with large, complex fires and when structures are involved.

Protecting the structures in Crossroads and along Edgington Road, and Tollgate, Sisters and Black Butte Ranch if necessary, are 161 "structure protection people." These are handling 30 fire trucks, 15 water tenders, and 18 "overhead" vehicles.

If evacuation becomes necessary, those leaving homes in Tollgate, Black Butte Ranch and the City of Sisters are asked to go to Skyview Middle School in the northeast corner of Bend at 6355 N.E. 18th, according to Dick Burch of the American Red Cross.