Crews getting upper hand on central Oregon wildfire

Published 1:53 pm Saturday, June 11, 2016

SISTERS, Ore. — Officials on Saturday lowered evacuation levels for more residents in about 900 homes near a 3-square-mile wildfire burning in central Oregon.

Fire spokesman Tom Fields of the Oregon Department of Forestry says the fire north of the town of Sisters is 60 percent contained and no structures have been lost.

Residents are now being told to get things ready to go in case of an evacuation rather than the previous warning to be ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Fields says more than 600 personnel and five helicopters are assigned to the fire with work on Saturday aimed at mopping up interior hotspots.

He says lower temperatures in the 60s on Saturday and lighter winds are helping firefighters, with full containment of the fire expected on Tuesday.