Wind Pushes Observation Fire to Over 300 Acres

The Observation Point Fire burning on the west side of Highway 93 between Hamilton and Darby has grown to an estimated 322 acres. Fire information Officer Dixie Dies, told KGVO News today, June 28, that the fire’s growth is mostly dictated by the wind.

"Most of that growth is due to wind," Dies said. "We have not had any growth this afternoon, so far so good, knock on wood, so the growth since Friday has been all wind driven. We knew this was happening and we've prepared for that, so this afternoon, just from looking at it from here in town, and we have a pretty good view, there's a lot of good work being done."

There are few trees for the fire to burn as it eats through very steep and rocky terrain. Dies says new equipment was brought in to help combat the blaze.

"We have one, what we call a 'Chinook,' a great big helicopter that came in and it carries about 2,600 gallons of water, that's a lot of water," Dies said. "We have also set up, what we call a mobile retardant plan."

So far, over 100,000 gallons of water have been dumped on the Observation Point Fire. Dies says the fire is miles away from any structures, but that containment is still around just five percent.