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Canyon Creek Complex Moves Away From Homes

Traci Weaver
/
National Park Service
Crews burn out along roads to reduce fuels and increase the width of the control line. Here, a member of the Black Mesa Hot Shots works along Road 1067 in Dark Canyon on August 22.

As firefighters start to gain control of Canyon Creek Complex, the blaze is moving away from homes and into wilderness.

The wildfire has grown to more than 73,000 acres but is now 29 percent contained.

For now, most homes are safe as the wildfire moves away from town and into the county’s wilderness area.

“As far as their homes are at risk, I think that is winding down,” fire information officer Vince Mazzier said. “Most of the structure protection is in place that’s going to be there and we don’t see a lot of threat to structures right now.

Firefighters are starting to leave base camp and head back to their families. Many of those firefighters worked 21-day shifts. They’ll have two days off before they’re reassigned to higher priority fires.

They will get some relief from National Guard soldiers after Gov. Kate Brown’s latest activation. Officials expect soldiers to arrive as early as Wednesday

A big concern now is the smoke. Residents have been dealing with poor air quality for weeks and, even as the fire moves further away, they’ll still have to deal with thick clouds of smoke.