A weekend of cooler weather and some widespread rainfall helped a still-growing army of nearly 2,600 firefighters on the 113,000-acre Cedar Creek Fire conduct burnout work and build fire lines, to reach their first containment figure in days, at 11%, Cedar Creek Fire officials said this week.
Last week, teams ignited controlled burn fires in areas surrounding the Cedar Creek Fire’s perimeter. By burning up ridges and other dense fuel sources, firefighters hoped to remove potential fuel for any future pushes by the fire. Officials say the acreage increase seen over the weekend is largely due to these firing operations along the west end of the blaze. The cost of that fight has grown too, to nearly $72 million as of Monday morning, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Monday morning, the Lane regional air protection agency (L.R.A.P.A) reported hazardous air quality in the Oakridge area and unhealthy levels in Eugene/Springfield.
