Wildfire burns 3 homes in southwestern Oregon

GOLD BEACH, Ore. – A wildfire has destroyed three houses in the same southwestern Oregon area where a notorious 2002 blaze blackened nearly 800 square miles.

Nobody has been injured in the current fire in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, and the affected homeowners were getting assistance from the Curry County Sheriff’s Office, KDRV-TV reported.

The sheriff did not immediately return a phone message from the Associated Press.

Evacuation notices remained in place Tuesday for the lightning-sparked fire that began July 12 and has grown rapidly in the past week to more than 150 square miles.

The state’s largest active blaze is burning in the scar of the 2002 fire that remains seared in the memory of those living along the Oregon-California border.

People living along Highway 101 near Brookings were warned to evacuate Sunday after the current blaze made a westward push toward the coast. The Red Cross established a shelter in Gold Beach.

Fire spokesman Chris Barth said cooler temperatures and lighter winds helped slow the fire’s growth Monday, and similar weather was expected Tuesday. He said firefighters hope to take advantage of the conditions and get residents home as quickly as possible

More than 400 firefighters were battling the blaze. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved money to help reimburse the cost of the fight.

August is peak wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest, and firefighters were busy throughout Oregon.

In the central part of state, a wildfire in the Three Sisters Wilderness has scorched 18 square miles. An evacuation warning went out Monday for an area that includes Black Butte Ranch, a resort community.

Last week, hundreds of people living near the Western-themed town of Sisters were advised to evacuate. Fire managers worry that winds will push the fire out of the wilderness and into populated areas.