Oregon Department of Forestry crews got the jump on three fires that emerged in Wallowa County on Thursday, July 25, but other relatively small fires are burning this weekend in the county — and a state forester urged people to use common sense when outdoors.

Actually, Tracy Brostrom, unit forester at the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Wallowa Unit, used blunter language than that.

Take a look at the tinder-dry conditions in Eastern Oregon, Brostrom said, and consider how one wayward spark or ember could trigger a fast-moving and destructive fire.

And, he added, don’t just think about yourself.

“You’re throwing everybody else under the bus,” he said. “Because if you start a fire, you’ve potentially threatened all your neighbors. … Quit thinking about yourself, what you want to do. Think about the impact you have on everybody else because of your stupidity, if I can be blunt. Yes, stupidity is how I would put it.”

And remember as well, he said, that the rash of fires already is putting strain on firefighting resources throughout the state.

“We don’t even have anybody here,” he said Friday, referring to the Wallowa Unit headquarters of the Department of Forestry. “Everybody’s on a fire right now.”

A thunderstorm that blew through the region earlier this week was getting the blame for many of the recent fires in Wallowa County.

Brostrom said the department received six reports of smoke on Thursday, and three turned into fires:

• The Charlie Brown Fire, burning in Wise Creek area north of Wallowa, was down to 34 acres as of Saturday. Brostrom said fire crews have built line around the blaze and are working on mopping it up. 

• The Courtney Creek Fire, burning in the Shamrock area south of Flora, was at reported at 59 acres and was listed as inactive. Crews were making significant progress on the blaze, ODF reported, with engines, hand crews, dozers and assistance from a local landowner with heavy equipment. 

• The Middle Point Fire, 27 miles northwest of Enterprise, was at 2.7 acres. The fire drew an initial attack from engines and aircraft, and Brostrom said it was “pretty well wrangled.” The fire was listed as inactive on Saturday.

Fires of more than 10 acres burning Saturday in Wallowa County included:

• The Big Canyon Fire, burning in the Deer Creek area 20 miles northwest of Enterprise. The fire, which began Friday morning, is reported at 80 acres. 

• The Lone Pine Fire is burning in the Deep Creek Area, about 34 miles northeast of Enterprise. It’s estimated at 200 acres and was first reported at 8:43 p.m. Thursday.

• The Mountain View Fire, burning in the Smith Mountain Road area, was reported at 11:27 a.m. Friday and is burning about 22 miles northwest of Enterprise. It’s grown to 200 acres. Reports are that the fire is 100% lined, but interior pockets are burning. Crews stayed on the fire Friday night. 

• The Devils Gulch Fire, burning 14 miles northeast of Enterprise, is estimated at 48 acres. It was first reported at 9:04 p.m. Thursday.

• The Water Fire, burning northwest of Wallowa, is estimated at 40 acres. It was first reported at 11:23 a.m. Friday. The fire reportedly is 100% surrounded by dozer lines; resources remain on the fire. 

• The Mahogany Fire, burning in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area about 19 miles southeast of Joseph, is reported at 30 acres.