Here it is the middle of August with fires all over the Cascade Range, mostly caused by lightning storms in July. Remember, it wasn't until Labor Day when all the fires four to five years ago burned up communities and homes along the McKenzie River, the Santiam River and the nearby Archie Creek Fire up the North Umpqua River. The cause of those fires was power lines breaking from wind storms.
Now with a record number of fires throughout the west, fire crews and resources are spread thin and many fire teams have arrived from the east coast where there is much rain. Most of the fire teams and camps with up to or more than 500 people assigned to them are fighting multiple fires known as complex fires.
Some fires are burning in old fire scares where the underbrush and fallen dead trees have caused a fuel build up over the last 10 to 20 years ready to burn again. To get crews and equipment into some of these fires it requires opening up secondary forest roads and logging spurs that have not been maintained for years requiring contractors with heavy equipment to open them up. It is also necessary to use some of these old road systems for fire breaks.
In the last few days fires are breaking out at the lower elevations in Douglas County, mostly caused by stupidity--burning of debris, operating power equipment and believe it or not, somebody siphoning gas while smoking a cigarette. Now there is a fast moving fire near Tiller threating homes and ranches. Many local fire agencies have responded leaving very few resources to respond to any new starts. All that will save us now is rain and that usually does not arrive until mid October.
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