Crews have completed alternate and contingency lines around the perimeter of the 195-acre Bruler Fire 30 miles northeast of Sweet Home, according to information released Friday morning by the U.S. Forest Service.
No growth was reported overnight in the week-old blaze, first spotted Monday, July 12, near the jurisdiction of Forest Roads 11 (Straight Creek and Quartzville roads) and 1133 approximately 9 miles south of Detroit in the Sweet Home Ranger District. Containment is now listed at 20%.
Firefighters were expected to add to the established line and conduct mop-up activities, with heavy equipment continuing to strengthen control lines.
Its cause remains under investigation, although, as Friday’s report stated, “On average, human-caused wildfires make up 87% of all wildfire occurrences annually. … Many … ignite in proximity to roadways, communities and recreational areas, posing considerable threat to public safety and damage to natural resources. Public-use restrictions limit use of campfires and potential ignition sources when local conditions present an elevated risk.”
Air quality around Detroit and Sweet Home continues to be listed as “good,” the agency reported, and light winds from the southwest keep smoke from this and surrounding larger fires to the east.
Large closures remain in effect. These still includes large portions of U.S. Forest Service lands south of Detroit Lake, west of Highway 22 and north of Highway 20, plus the Middle Santiam Wilderness, Daly Lake, Tule Lake and the Old Cascade Crest trail system. A Bureau of Land Management closure area is also in place for areas along Quartzville Scenic Byway and Quartzville Road, including Yellowbottom Campground, Old Miner’s Meadow Group Site and nearby dispersed camping areas.
Visit InciWeb for more information about closures at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7663/. For other updates, please consult the Willamette National Forest’s Bruler Fire Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/brulerfire2021) or the agency’s Twitter account at @WillametteNF.
UPDATE: Crews strengthen lines around Bruler Fire perimeter; containment at 20%
Crews have completed alternate and contingency lines around the perimeter of the 195-acre Bruler Fire 30 miles northeast of Sweet Home. Containment is at 20%.