Bootleg Fire Finally Contained Amid Threat of Other Wildfires in the U.S.

(Photo : Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP / Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
An American flag is placed on a burned fire engine at a burned fire station in downtown Greenville, California on August 7, 2021. - The Dixie Fire has now ravaged 446,723 acres in four counties, up from the previous day's 434,813. That area is larger than Los Angeles -- and has surpassed the sweep of the vast Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon.

Oregon authorities reported that the Bootleg Fire, which has burned down more than 413,000 acres across the region, has been fully contained thanks to firefighters.

The massive wildfire was 100% contained after burning for 39 days and firefighters struggling to douse the flames. The blaze became one of the largest fires in the history of Oregon. The area that the Bootleg Fire ravaged included national forest and private land northeast of Klamath Falls.

Bootleg Fire Containment

Fire departments stationed more than 2,000 crew members at one point in an attempt to quickly contain the massive blaze. As firefighters slowly began making progress in slowing the spread of the fire, resources were naturally pulled towards other areas suffering from wildfires.

The Patton Meadow Fire ignited earlier this week in an area southwest of the Bootleg Fire due to a lightning strike. Oregon State Governor Kate Brown declared an Emergency Conflagration, which sent the state's resources out towards Lake County to support the fight against the flames. Officials also activated the Multnomah County task force to douse the massive wildfire, KATU reported.

The Bootleg Fire began burning on July 6 in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, around 15 miles northwest of Beatty. It was accompanied by the Log Fire six days later, which it merged with after three weeks into one massive blaze.

While the containment of the Bootleg Fire comes as good news to Americans, officials warned that there are still 29 other, large wildfires burning in Oregon and Washington, which cover an area of about 887,069 acres. More than 8,039 firefighters have been sent to trenches to fight the flames, Oregon Live reported.

In a township north of the Mendocino National Forest in Northern California, authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order on Monday. The announcement was made as communities are being ravaged by wildfires, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes in the last few days.

Devastating Wildfires

The Shasta County Sheriff's Office warned Platina residents of the immediate threat and urged them to be ready to evacuate at any given moment. They argued that gusty winds continued to push the McFarland Fire toward the community that is home to about 200 people.

The blaze is one of at least six large wildfires in Northern California, which include the deadly Dixie Fire, which has since become the second-largest blaze in the history of the state. The flames have destroyed at least 1,100 structures, authorities said.

As of Sunday night, the Dixie Fire has ravaged more than 570,000 acres across four different counties, as reported by Cal Fire. The blaze started more than a month ago and quickly burned through an area about three-quarters of the size of Rhode Island. As of Sunday, the wildfire was only reportedly 31% contained. Officials warned the fire could become even larger due to the threat of lightning and high winds in the region.

The U.S. Forest Service had to deploy about 21,000 federal firefighters nationwide to fight roughly 100 wildfires. The blazes are a result of drought and scorching temperatures. The number of deployed personnel is double the number compared to this time one year ago, the New York Times reported.