Several blazes, including a 'megafire,' growing in Oregon amid dry fuel and high temperatures
A slight respite from hot, dry weather Monday slowed the hunger for acreage among Oregon's eight major wildfires, but an ominous forecast loomed as the state welcomed outside help.
A slight respite from hot, dry weather Monday slowed the hunger for acreage among Oregon's eight major wildfires, but an ominous forecast loomed as the state welcomed outside help.
Oregon's largest blaze, the Cow Valley Fire along the state's desolate eastern flank, stood at 132,528 acres Monday, with 5% containment reported late Monday along its 163-mile perimeter, according to the U.S. Forest Service, other federal agencies and state fire officials.
When it surpassed 100,000 acres sometime late Friday or early Saturday, the blaze became what the U.S. Interagency Fire Center deems a "megafire."
Early Monday, the winds that sustained roaring flames and their consumption of dry, 3-foot-tall brush died down, slowing the fire’s expansion and giving firefighters hope of victory, the agencies said in a daily update.
Citing critical fire danger, Gov. Tina Kotek on Monday declared an extended state of emergency in Oregon. On Friday, she had invoked the state's Emergency Conflagration Act to bring more resources to the Cow Valley Fire, which started the previous day.
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