Firefighter rigs from all over Oregon have arrived in Prineville as suppression efforts continue. (Jason Chaney/Central Oregonian)

Suppression efforts continue on the Highland Fire, a brush fire that erupted about 4 p.m. Saturday, July 12 in Juniper Canyon. 

According to a Sunday morning report from Central Oregon Fire, crews and heavy equipment spent all night constructing preliminary fire lines on the fire burning on private land, and Prineville BLM District managed lands approximately 2 miles south of Prineville in the area of Juniper Canyon near Mark Road and southeast Highland Road, where the fire originated. Forest Service and BLM firefighters were able to construct a fire line around the entire fire perimeter while Crook County Fire and Rescue led structure protection efforts and tactical patrols around homes and in neighborhoods through the night. The Highland Fire remains an estimated 1,500 acres with 0% containment.

Sunday, at 9:30 a.m. the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Blue Team in-briefed with Crook County Fire and Rescue and the Central Oregon Type 3 Incident Management Team to join in unified command of the Highland Fire. 

Wildland firefighters will be focused on beginning mop up to secure the established perimeter of the fire. Aerial resources will be available to support firefighters on the ground by cooling hot spots both on the interior of the fire and along the perimeter. OSFM task forces will conduct structural assessments, mop up around structures and maintain point protection in preparation for this afternoon’s weather.

Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations were put in place for those living near the fire and remain unchanged as of Sunday morning. The fire weather forecast for Sunday calls for highs between 95-98 degrees and winds gusting up to 20 miles per hour this afternoon and evening.

The fire was first reported around 4 p.m. and quickly moved uphill to the south, cresting over the hill, according to reports, around 5:30 p.m. Air resources responded within the first hour, dropping water and retardant on the blaze. Local ground resources responded as ground resources from numerous areas outside Prineville rushed to the blaze to help.

A conflagration was invoked by Gov. Tina Kotek Saturday evening, allowing the state fire marshal to mobilize structural protection resources. On Saturday evening, the Oregon State Fire Marshal mobilized their Blue Incident Management Team and three structural task forces to the fire. One task force was sent earlier on Saturday through Immediate Response.

 The incident management team and two additional task forces arrived Sunday morning before being briefed to begin work protecting structures. Fire rigs from communities and counties throughout Oregon filled the Crook County Fire and Rescue parking lot and adjacent streets Sunday morning.

 “Fire conditions are affecting much of the state with little relief in the forecast,” said State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. “We are asking all Oregonians to be aware of the conditions and do everything they can to prevent sparking a wildfire.”

The fire has caused hundreds of power outages in Juniper Canyon. According to Central Oregon Electric Co-op (CEC), on Sunday, line crews were continuing to patrol lines in the area impacted by the fire. Linemen had reported that multiple downed poles have been found. Repairs will take place throughout the day and well into the evening but the time to full restoration is unknown.