Firefighters are using the small Corral Fire near Medical Springs as a tool to further reduce potentially hazardous fuels and to restore healthy vegetation. The fire was sparked by lightning that moved through the area on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023.

BAKER CITY — Firefighters are responding to a small fire, named the Corral Fire, located about 7 miles northeast of Medical Springs in the Corral Creek Drainage.

Aircraft equipped with an infrared detector first discovered the fire, which was started by lightning during a storm that moved through the area on Wednesday, Aug. 9, according to a Sunday press release from the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

Resources working to suppress the fire include an engine, hand crew, water tender, and a 12-person specialized wildland fire module.

The fire is burning in a mixed conifer stand that contains a high number of both standing and downed snags, or dead trees. The area surrounding the fire was recently thinned.

Given recent and planned fuel reduction treatments in the area, behavior of the fire, and current weather conditions, fire managers decided to take advantage of the naturally started fire and adopt a suppression strategy that will use the fire to further reduce potentially hazardous fuels and restore healthy vegetation.

Control lines and containment features have been identified and crews will remain on scene to monitor and suppress the fire safely.

Fire managers said the strategy will not only remove overstocked fuels that could lead to a more hazardous fire in the future, but it will also help restore forest resilience, reduce current and future firefighter exposure, and encourage healthy foraging for local big game.

The public is asked to take caution if traveling in the area. Smoke may cause reduced visibility and there is an increase in fire crews using nearby roads and trails to access the fire.

Forest officials also ask that visitors not camp or recreate in burned-out areas. Trees may be unstable and fall or drop large branches. This danger is heightened with high winds. Rocks and other debris can also be unstable and roll downhill or fall out from under a hiker’s boot or the weight of an ATV. The ground itself may be unstable due to burned roots and a lack of ground vegetation.

Updates will be posted as they become available. For more information about areas affected by the fire, call the La Grande Ranger District office at 541-962-8500.

For current information about fire news in the Blue Mountain area and other resources, visit the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center on the internet.