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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2012 10:57 AM




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Firefighters get handle on Oregon, Washington blazes

Several major wildfires in Oregon are winding down on Monday as firefighters have increasingly contained them.

The largest wildfire in Oregon, the Long Draw, was fully contained on Sunday at about 580,000 acres near Basque, Ore., according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

Firefighters will continue to "mop up" the blaze and reinforce its perimeter to prevent further spread, though some fire activity continues within the area, said Carol Connolly, information officer for the center.

"There are probably still unburned pockets within those acres," she said.

The Miller Homestead Fire, near Frenchglen, Ore., has spread to about 160,000 acres and was 70 percent contained as of this morning.

Lower temperatures have assisted firefighters in suppressing the fire, Connolly said. "Even though they don't have a containment date yet, they're looking at down-sizing the management team on that."

Firefighting efforts were also winding down at the Bonita Complex fire, which consists of two blazes near Westfall, Ore., she said. The fire was 85 percent contained with the total size at 18,000 acres.

A previously unreported fire, the Lexsfall fire near Madras, Ore., was started by lightning on Saturday and has since spread to 1,700 acres. It was 60 percent contained.

In Washington, the Foster Creek fire near Bridgeport, Wash., was 70 percent contained at 1,200 acres.

The Douglas County Complex fire, which consists of two blazes near Mansfield, Wash., was started on Sunday and its cause was still under investigation. The fire had spread to more than 2,000 acres and was 25 percent contained.

The fire was consuming grass, brush and wheat, primarily on private land, Connolly said. Part of the blaze is also on Bureau of Land Management property.

The center expects thunderstorm activity to be active in the Northwest, with the potential for new fires particularly strong in southeast Oregon. However, their growth rate will likely be limited by moisture.

-- Mateusz Perkowski

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