5 Oregon Homes Burned; Crews Gain on Other Fires

Wind-whipped forest fires burned near two southern Oregon towns Wednesday after destroying five houses and threatening 250 others.

Forest, brush and grass fires have raced across more than 320,000 acres since Friday in California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Nevada. Smaller fires were contained in parts of Utah and Colorado.

California crews finished surrounding an 8,000-acre fire in the central Sierra Nevada, 30 miles west of Yosemite National Park. A 2,600-acre fire in the Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest near the central coast also was contained.

Fire burned three houses on the outskirts of Gold Hill, a town of 1,000 in southwestern Oregon, the Oregon Department of Forestry said. The blaze was within four miles of Rogue River, a town of nearly 2,000. More than 200 houses were evacuated.

East of the Cascade Range, a 24,000-acre fire destroyed two houses and 50 homes were evacuated in the Moccasin Hills subdivision near Chiloquin, the Forest Service said.

Firefighters expect to contain the fire near Rogue River by Friday and the fire near Chiloquin by Saturday, said Nancy Campbell of the state fire marshal’s office.

Dozens of fires have burned across more than 180,000 acres of timber and brush in Idaho. But humidity is rising and temperatures and wind are falling, and fire strategists say many blazes can be contained by the weekend.

In the scenic Wood River Valley south of Idaho’s Sun Valley ski resort, helicopters made water drops on the northeast flank of a fire that had destroyed two residences and eight outbuildings. Hundreds of firefighters closed the break line to encircle the 17,500-acre fire.

Five fires were gradually being checked in the Curlew National Grassland south of Pocatello, Ida., where 17,000 acres of choice grassland has been burned.

A 38,000-acre fire in grass, timber and brush in the Humboldt National Forest in northeastern Nevada remained out of control after forcing the evacuation of about 100 residents and visitors from the old gold-mining town of Jarbidge. Erratic wind fanned the fire in tinder-dry brush.