WINNEMUCCA - The huge Long Draw Fire in eastern Oregon was reported as 100 percent contained on Monday morning after burning 582,313 acres.
An aerial survey conducted Sunday morning did not reveal any remaining smoke or burning material, fire information officials said. Higher humidity levels and lighter winds have aided the fire-fighting effort over the past couple of days.
Crews started an extensive rehabilitation plan in the fire area Sunday. This involves constructing water bars, repairing fences, rehabbing dozer lines, cleaning spike camps, weed washing and returning transportation routes to pre-fire conditions wherever possible, officials said. These efforts are likely to continue for another week.
A local fire management team was scheduled to take over operations this morning, replacing the national highly technical, highly experienced Type 1 Pacific Northwest Team 3.
All crews and support personnel returned to the Incident Command Post in McDermitt Sunday night, and many of them will be demobilized from the incident today. Air resources will also continue to ramp down to meet operational needs. Approximately 120 firefighters will remain on scene to assist with rehabilitation activities and provide initial attack support, should the need arise.
The lightning-cause fire started July 8 near Basque Station along U.S. 95 north of McDermitt. The fire started on the west side of U.S. 95 and jumped to the east side of the highway. In the first five days, the fire blew up to nearly 450,000 acres, fanned by hot temperatures, winds, low humidity and extremely dry fuels.
On July 10, a Tuesday many in McDermitt won't forget for a while, the fire's southern flank made a strong push to the south to burn within 10 miles of the tiny Humboldt County community straddling the Nevada-Oregon border. By Wednesday, the fire was moving to the north and east, burning toward the Owyhee Canyon. The fire reached Owyhee Canyon, where it was stopped from crossing the river, but never burned into Nevada.
The national team managing the fire confirmed an unknown number of cattle perished within the perimeter of the fire. The fire has burned in areas with important sage grouse habitat and other special resources, such as wilderness study areas and wild horse management areas, within the Vale BLM district.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center website, the cost of fighting the fire had reached $2.7 million as of Sunday.
U.S 95 is open. Drivers are asked to use their headlights and be aware of increased fire traffic.
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