Five fire departments in Lincoln County sent crews early Saturday to help battle a 18,500-acre blaze burning out of control near Culver in central Oregon.
The crews were from the Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue, North Lincoln Fire, Depoe Bay Fire, Siletz Valley Rural Fire and Seal Rock Fire districts.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office said it had mobilized structural task forces and an incident management team to the Flat Fire burning west of Culver. It sparked Thursday and quickly spread, prompting levels 1, 2, and 3 evacuation notices by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Since the fire was first reported, local and regional firefighters worked through the night. Gusty winds, low humidity, and warm temperatures pushed the fire. Hot and dry conditions are expected over the weekend.
On Friday, the emergency conflagration act was invoked, allowing the state fire marshal to mobilize resources from Lincoln, Lane, Marion, and Washington counties.