Firefighters battling the Brewer Fire faced another difficult night as a 30-acre spot fire broke through established containment lines on the west side of the fire near Grizzly Road overnight Thursday into Friday, July 24. Crews moved quickly to surround the spot and were working Saturday to build and improve control lines around it, according to the Central Oregon Fire Information briefing.
The Brewer Fire remains just 5% contained as of Friday. A Red Flag Warning is in effect through at least Saturday for the fire area, with forecasters calling for strong winds and warm temperatures likely to drive extreme fire behavior during peak burning hours.
Additional Resources Deployed
Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) added a swing shift staffed by two structural task forces to help defend homes and critical infrastructure during the most dangerous afternoon and evening hours. The incident now has the following resources assigned:
- Three structural task forces on day shift
- Two structural task forces on swing shift
- Four task forces on overnight operations
On the eastern flank, crews also worked overnight to hold lines near the intersection of Forest Service Road 2710 and Allen Creek Road, while continuing mop-up operations and providing point protection for homes in the Lofton Creek area.
Box Springs Fire Merges into Crosswhite
In a significant development Friday, the Box Springs Fire was absorbed by the Crosswhite Fire and will now be tracked as the Crosswhite West and Crosswhite East fires, divided by the Wheeler County line. Updates for the Jefferson County and Crook County portion will continue to be posted to the Brewer Fire Information page. One structural task force was also deployed to the Crosswhite Fire to support line construction along Forest Road 2700 and protect structures along Highway 26.
Evacuations Remain in Place
Level 1, 2, and 3 evacuation notices remain active in affected areas. Residents in evacuation zones should monitor the Brewer Fire Facebook page and the Central Oregon Fire Information website for the latest evacuation maps and updates.
A public community meeting was held Friday evening at Carey Foster Hall at the Crook County Fairgrounds in Prineville, with incident commanders from ODF IMT 3, OSFM Red Team, and California Team 1 briefing the public on all active Prineville-area fires including the Brewer, Crosswhite, Coyote, Henry, Pilot, Conant, and Crooked fires. The session was livestreamed and recorded.
Jefferson County residents with questions about the Brewer Fire should visit centraloregonfire.org or follow the Brewer Fire Facebook page for daily situation reports.