6/25/2021 Cutoff Fire Evening Update

 

Containment on Cutoff Fire passes two-thirds mark

BONANZA, Ore.— Hard work pays off. Containment has reached 67% on the Cutoff Fire. There’s been no growth in the fire’s size, which remains at 1,288 acres. The fire is located six miles north of Bonanza and 20 miles east of Klamath Falls.

Today, firefighters will continue mopping up remaining hot spots close to the fire’s edge that were identified Wednesday night by air and ground-based infrared heat detection equipment. Firefighters are digging out stump holes, extinguishing smoldering duff and clearing low-hanging tree limbs.

Crews from the Cutoff Fire were sent to a new fire start east of Bonanza late yesterday to help local firefighters. Together, they stopped the spread of the Painter Fire. This is the fourth time aircraft or ground resources deployed to the Cutoff Fire have responded to new fire starts in the area.

This morning, officials lowered the evacuation levels for the fire area to Level 1 (Get Ready). Residents are advised to plan for how they would evacuate and where they would go if needed.

Incident Meteorologist Tom Wright from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting record-breaking triple-digit temperatures at the fire this weekend. “Like much of Oregon, it will be very warm Saturday and we could shatter heat records Sunday,” Wright said. Fire managers are having firefighters pace their work with the heat levels, drink lots of water and take shade breaks as needed to avoid heat-related illnesses.

Firefighting traffic remains heavy in the fire area. Fire managers ask that other drivers in the area stay aware and reduce speeds to accommodate fire-related traffic.