245-acre Wiley Creek Fire is contained
SWEET HOME — The Wiley Creek Fire six miles southeast of Sweet Home is fully contained at 245 acres.
No lives, structures, or recreation sites were lost due to quick local response, collaboration with partners, and successful firefighting efforts.
On the evening of Aug. 7, smoke was reported near Buck Mountain in the Little Wiley Creek Drainage on the Sweet Home Ranger District. The thick forest and steep, rugged terrain proved challenging for ground resources. Firefighters relied heavily on air resources to provide safe engagement for equipment and ground operations. The multi-pronged attack helped personnel overcome the severely dry vegetation and difficult access and kept the fire from spreading to residences, minimally impacting private land.
“Given the proximity of industrial private timberlands and residences, all tools at our disposal were used to get this fire under control as quickly as possible,” said Sweet Home District Ranger Nikki Swanson.
The successful response and containment would not have been possible without the Oregon Department of Forestry-South Cascade District, U.S. Forest Service, Linn County Sheriff, Sweet Home Fire, Oregon State Fire Marshal, Cascade Timber Consulting and Giustina Resources.
“The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) was happy to help our federal partners protect Oregon’s beautiful forest lands, both federal and private, from what could have been a large wildfire. This fire was a great example of what happens when state, federal, local and private partners come together to keep Oregon safe,” said Craig Pettinger, ODF Sweet Home Unit Forester.
The community should expect to see some occasional smoke from inside the containment lines, as firefighters continue to patrol the Wiley Creek Fire until a season-ending weather event occurs.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the pilots, the equipment operators, firefighters and law enforcement, who worked tirelessly to do the hard work of securing fire lines and keeping the community safe. The success of the Wiley Creek Fire was because of the contributions of every single person who helped in ways big and small,” Swanson said.
