About a 100 people turned out in Sisters Tuesday night for a public meeting on the Shadow Lake Fire. That wildfire has so far has scorched more than 4,600 acres in the Mount Washington Wilderness Area.
Fire managers dimmed the lights of the Sisters Elementary School auditorium and explained their strategy. District Ranger Bill Anthony used a laser pointer and Google Earth to show how years of wild fires have created a dead zone between the Shadow Lake Fire and the communities surrounding Sisters. Risk to the community, he said was minimal. That seemed to put those in attendance at ease. Still there were questions about smoke and other repercussions from the fire. Here’s Sisters resident Terry Jones.
"There is an upcoming deer season starting this weekend and I’m just wondering if the west side boundaries will be marked for closures," Jones said.
The answer is yes. Fire crews are using existing roads on the western flank as barriers. Anderson says the plan is to dig in and wait for the flames to come to firefighters. For that reason, the Shadow Lake fire could continue to burn well into September.
