DFPA News Release: Milepost 97 Fire, 7:30 a.m. Update

The Milepost 97 Fire, located approximately 1 mile southeast of Canyonville, burned actively through the night and is now estimated to be 15 acres in size. The fire has moved into a fire scar that burned in the late 1980’s and is in an area with a significant amount of standing dead trees with a heavy brush component beneath them. Crews stayed engaged on the fire overnight but were limited on where they could safely work in the dark due to rolling rocks and falling trees. Fire lines and hose lays were completed around about 25 percent of the fire overnight. As of this morning, approximately 90 firefighters are working on the Milepost 97 Fire with additional resources on order. Two helicopters are also assigned to the incident and will be used throughout the day. A preliminary fire investigation indicated that the cause of the Milepost 97 fire is related to an illegal campfire. The Milepost 97 fire is highly visible from Interstate 5. Motorists are asked to use caution when driving through the area as fire equipment and personnel will be working alongside the freeway. Currently, no homes are threatened by the fire and no evacuations have been issued.