Wiley Flat Fire grows over 10,000 acres

A lightning-sparked fire near Post exploded Monday, growing rapidly, driven by high winds, prompting multiple evacuations.

The Wiley Flat Fire, located about 10 miles southeast of Post, off Highway 380, was initially reported late Sunday night and had grown to 10,000 acres as of a report issued by Central Oregon Fire Info on Tuesday morning.

Crook County Sheriff’s Office announced multiple evacuations on Monday afternoon. Southeast Drake Creek Road (Forest Service Road 16) from Paulina Highway south approximately 3-4 miles south was under a Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation. The evacuation extended east from Southeast Drake Creek Road approximately 5 miles. In addition, Level 2 (Get Set) evacuations were issued from Southeast Drake Creek Road west to Southeast Pine Creek Road (Forest Service Road 17) from Paulina Highway south approximately 5 miles in line with the Level 3 zone. Later Monday, Crook County Sheriff’s Office determined that that the Level 3 evacuation would expand to Southeast Camp Creek Road and south to Southeast Tackman Road.

As of Tuesday morning, at 6 a.m., the Central Oregon Type 3 Incident Management Team, led by Incident Commander Cason McCain, assumed command of the Wiley Flat Fire. According to a Central Oregon Fire Info report, firefighters focused their efforts Monday on structure protection, working diligently to safeguard homes and critical infrastructure in the immediate area. The plan for Tuesday was for crews to persist in structure protection efforts while also scouting for opportunities to establish control lines around the fire’s perimeter.

“With a warming and drying trend expected to influence fire behavior in the coming days, firefighters are closely monitoring conditions and adjusting their strategies as necessary to maintain safety and effectiveness in their operations,” the report stated.

A temporary evacuation shelter was established at the Carey Foster Hall in Prineville.