New fire in north-central Oregon quickly grows to 4,000 acres, closes Hwy. 206, Cottonwood Canyon State Park – KTVZ

WASCO, Ore. (KTVZ) – A new fire southeast of Wasco in north-central Oregon raced across about 4,000 acres on both sides of the John Day River on Tuesday, prompting closure of a state highway and Cottonwood Canyon State Park, officials said.

Central Oregon Fire Management Service firefighters responded Tuesday afternoon to the Cottonwood Fire (Incident #748) burning 17 miles southeast of Wasco adjacent to Highway 206 in the John Day River drainage. The fire is burning on Prineville District-BLM, state and private lands.

The fire is estimated as of Tuesday evening at 4,000 acres and is 0% contained. It’s established on both sides of the John Day River.

Resources on scene Tuesday included 12 engines and miscellaneous overhead, in addition to several local and county resources. Firefighters on the ground were supported throughout the day by two large air tankers, four single-engine air tankers (SEAT planes), a lead plane, a Type 3 helicopter and air attack. Additional resources were en route late Tuesday.

State Highway 206 was closed between Condon and Wasco. Motorists can monitor the road closure and travel information by visiting tripcheck.com. Additionally, Cottonwood State Park is also closed. More information regarding Cottonwood State Park can be found by visiting stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=195.

For current wildland fire information, the public can visit centraloregonfire.org or follow fire information on Twitter @CentralORFire.