About two dozen campers safely evacuated from Farewell Bend State Park near Huntington around dusk on Wednesday, July 10, as a wind-driven wildfire moved toward the park on the shore of Brownlee Reservoir.

The evacuation took about 30 minutes and was done in an “orderly and organized” way, said Travis Bome, who manages the 121-space park for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

“We were in no immediate danger,” Bome said on Thursday morning.

Bome said he and other park employees helped visitors connect their campers to tow vehicles. The evacuation started around 8 p.m. and took about 30 minutes, he said.

The fire reached the park about 90 minutes after the campers left, Bome said.

He and other workers were beginning to assess the damage Thursday morning.

Bome said all the structures, including two rental cabins, were standing, but he didn’t yet know whether the fire had damaged any buildings.

Flames did burn vegetation in parts of the park, which covers about 280 acres. The recreation part of the park, including the campground and day-use area, is 80 to 90 acres, Bome said.

He said it’s too early to give any estimate for when the park could reopen. There was no electricity to the property Thursday morning. Old Highway 30, which leads to the park, reopened Thursday morning after being closed between Huntington and the freeway exit near the park.

Bome said around 7:30 p.m. he saw a smoke plume on the hill west of the park.

The fire, which was reported about 3 a.m. July 10, started on the east side of Huntington, near Adams and Fifth streets east. The fire is under investigation.

Fire crews from multiple agencies had the blaze contained at about 152 acres, but gusty winds, combined with temperatures near 110 degrees, revived the fire later. It has burned about 4,500 acres.

Bome said Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash called him about 7:50 p.m. to announce a Level 2 evacuation notice, which means to be prepared to leave.

Bome said he and other park staff started talking to campers about the situation. He said it was fortunate that the campground wasn’t especially crowded.

Soon after, Ash called again to upgrade the notice to Level 3, which means leave now.

Bome said firefighters worked on the blaze through the night, and were mopping up hot spots on Thursday morning.

Huntington spared

No homes were damaged in Huntington, population about 510, City Recorder Siobhan Boxberger said on Thursday morning.

The northeast section of the city, north and east of Highway 30, remained under a Level 2 evacuation notice, but Boxberger said she hadn’t heard of any residents who actually left.

She said the fire came within 10 to 20 feet of at least one home.

Flames also swept through the Huntington Cemetery, which is just east of the town along Highway 30, but Boxberger said she didn’t think damage was severe, as most of the grave markers are stone.

Boxberger said that although the wind whipped up the fire, fortunately the gusts were blowing from west to east, pushing flames away from Huntington.

She said she talked with Huntington Fire Chief Eric Bronson, and that the fire was smoldering in places Thursday morning but was considered contained.

Boxberger said one Huntington volunteer firefighter twisted his knee, but no other injuries were reported.

Jason Yencopal, Baker County’s emergency management director, said firefighters were doing some intentional burnouts on the north side of the fire, near the Burnt River, to reduce the amount of unburned vegetation and create a wider fireline.

The Snake River Road was closed between Huntington and Spring Recreation Site for about two hours late Thursday morning and early afternoon while firefighters worked in that area. The road reopened early in the afternoon.

The Huntington fire, estimated at 4,500 acres, was 25% contained as of Friday morning, July 12. The Baker County Sheriff’s Office has lowered evacuation level to 1 — be prepared — for an area that includes Huntington east of Highway 30 and Farewell Bend State Park.