Oakridge fires grow as 'Bobby' joins the Buckhead Complex
OAKRIDGE, Ore. -- Eight firefighters rappelled from a helicopter to a recent addition to the Buckhead Complex burning the Cascade crest that has officials advising hikers and campers to steer clear of the area, fire officials said.
The Bobby fire was initially added to the Buckhead Complex on Wednesday as a two-acre fire burning in between Waldo and Bobby lake. Three helicopters began an initial attack and held the fire's growth to only 15 acres by the end of the day.
Eight firefighters rappelled into the forested terrain on the Cascade crest Thursday morning, and four crews of 20 firefighters hiked in to the area to continue battling the fire.
Crews contacted passing hikers about the fire when they were hiking into the area. Officials got the word out to more secluded campers and hikers in the area by dropping plastic bottles containing sand and an informational notice. The notice advised people to leave the Bobby Lake and Pacific Crest trail area.
Nick Mickel is the lead fire information official in charge of the Buckhead Complex. Mickel said that investigators are looking into the possibility that Bobby was cause by last week's lightning storm.
"It's possible that Bobby is a holdover, but we are waiting for an investigators ruling on the cause." Mickel said.
Mickel said that Bobby has seen lttle growth since Wednesday night. The Bobby fire is located 27 miles east of the main complex fires near Oakridge, Buckhead and Evangeline.
The Buckhead Complex was listed as 60% contained on Thursday afternoon. Crews have been able to more accurately asses the acreage of the fire now that crews successfully established a burnout on the Evangeline fire and used better mapping of the listed fires. They estimate that over 270 acres of the Willamette National Forest have burned in the Buckhead Complex fire.
