Firefighters Hit 50% Containment on Little Buck Fire After It Crossed Highway 218

Overview

• Strong northwest winds on Saturday pushed the Little Buck Fire across Oregon Route 218 near Clarno, creating a multi‑mile run that prompted expanded evacuations and urgent line construction.
• Incident managers reported on July 28 that the Little Buck Fire is 36,025 acres and 50% contained while the Cottonwood Fire is 16,273 acres and fully contained.
• Crews, backed by roughly 951 total resources on the July 28 update, used dozers, hand crews, engines and aircraft to build and reinforce control lines and to locate and extinguish hot spots near structures.
• Local ranchers from the Rangeland Fire Protection Association played a key operational role by building and connecting dozer lines where the fire slopped over OR 218 to protect ranch properties and homes.
• Hot, dry conditions with afternoon gusts near 25 mph and coordination with neighboring incident teams (NW2) and the Oregon State Fire Marshal mean crews must continue patrol, mop‑up and structure protection to prevent renewed growth.