The Chetco Bar Fire has been burning for over a month and is now the top priority fire in the nation. So far the over 100,000 acre blaze is zero percent contained, but thanks to cooler temperatures and high humidity this week firefighters have made some progress laying containment lines that will slow the fire’s progression. However spokesman Randall Rishe says rising temperatures this weekend are a cause for concern.
“We’re going to see a lower relative humidity, the temperatures are going to rise and in this area we have something called the ‘Chetco Effect,’” says Rishe. “It’s going to have 20, 30 mile an hour winds…very difficult to fly in, very difficult to fight the fire in.”
Level three, or ‘GO’, evacuation notices for some areas in the fire’s path have been lifted, allowing residents to return to their homes. Oregon Governor Kate Brown has activated an additional 125 members of the National Guard to support the firefighting efforts, mostly by patrolling evacuated areas to make sure empty homes do not fall prey to looters.