Firefighters working to fully contain the Dowens Fire are working to make sure the blaze is fully extinguished, the Oregon Department of Forestry said Monday.
"As we are at the front end of what could be a long fire season, crews are working diligently to ensure the Dowens Fire does not reignite during the long hot summer," fire officials said in an update. The cause of the wildfire - which broke out Friday around 4:30 p.m., destroying a home and threatening 200 others - remains under investigation.
As of Monday, fire officials estimated the more than 75 acre fire is 80% contained. Fire crews "have strong control lines completely ringing the fire’s perimeter."
But work remains to be done by the hand crews still assigned to the fire. That's a fraction of the more than 100 wildland and structure firefighters who responded to the blaze Friday with the help of a trio of helicopters.