Bootleg Fire breaks state records

Posted Oct. 6, 2021

By Huda Aden

Staff Reporter

The Bootleg Fire, named after the nearby Bootleg Springs in Southern Oregon, started July 6 in the Fremont-Winema National Forest. precisely 15 miles northwest of the town of Beatty, and is 100% contained as of August 15 but has burned 650 square miles.

Six days after the Bootleg Fire, the Log Fire ignited, and by July 20th, the two fires had combined into the biggest wildfire in the nation. The Bootleg Fire first started off due to a lightning strike and grew as it was not fully extinguished.

“The Bootleg Fire in Southern Oregon spread by months of drought and [June’s] blistering heat waves,” Markus Kauffman stated to reporters.

2,000 firefighters fought to extinguish the 650 square mile fire which was generating its own weather.

“Unpredictable winds, fire clouds that spawns lightning, and flames that leap over firebreaks [were] confounding efforts to front the blaze which [was] sweeping through Southern Oregon,” reported the New York Times.

“It’s day after day of extreme behavior and explosive growth, and you can’t really fight fire under those conditions,” Kauffman stated “It’s too dangerous.”

Nearly every day the fire had created tall updrafts of hot air, smoke, and moisture called pyrocumulus clouds. Some can reach up to 30,000 feet in a day. They collapse, which can happen in the early evening when the updraft stops.

There have been no injuries in relation to the fire, but more than 161 homes, 247 outbuildings, 342 cars have been destroyed, as well as livestock.

“As the fire burned, some people lost everything including a family who spent their time mopping up hot spots after their house burned, and an 89-year-old veteran who lost his home,” KGW8 reported. “Farmers returned to their land to find mass cattle loss.”

There are about 20 active fires in Oregon at this moment. Most wildfires are caused by humans activity. There are several ways to prevent wildfires. Methods to prevent forest fires include building campfires in an open location, steering away from flammable material, and dousing campfires until they're cold to the touch. Other methods include avoiding or parking in dry grass, checking weather conditions prior to partaking in any activities that involve fires or sparks. As devastating as forest fires can be, experts report that not all fires are bad. Wildfires can occur naturally and necessary role in many landscapes.