UPDATE: All of the wildfires reported Tuesday and Wednesday are fully contained with fire teams mopping them up before transitioning the areas back to landowners over the next few days.

"No fire growth. No structures threatened. No road closures," the Oregon Department of Forestry said.

———

ORIGINAL STORY

Twenty-two wildfires were sparked Tuesday and Wednesday by high winds and dry conditions across northern Oregon.

Four of the wildfires grew to larger sizes, including blazes near Detroit, Gates, Molalla and Sheridan, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Fire teams are actively fighting the blazes, but none have threatened structures or led to road closures at this time, officials said.

The fires are officially under investigation, but the suspected cause in the majority of cases is that old slash burns — typically woody debris from logging operations — that were kicked up by the high and dry conditions.

“The majority would have been slash piles lit previously, sometimes weeks ago, when conditions were good for burning,” Oregon Department of Forestry spokeswoman Bobbi Doan said. “Burning slash piles wasn’t allowed yesterday and today.”

Spring fire:Private timber operation started wildfire that burned Oregon state park, evacuated Lyons

The two wildfires that have proved most difficult due to high winds and difficult access include:

- The Crankshaft Fire, located about 6 miles south of Gates, is an estimated 25 acres.

- The Gopher Valley Fire, located 5 miles north of Sheridan, is an estimated 20 acres.

Firefighters made significant progress on two fires reported Tuesday and both are being mopped up.

- The North Fork Fire, located 16 miles east of Molalla, burned an estimated 80 acres.

- The Detroit Dam Fire, located five miles west of Detroit, burned an estimated 50 acres.

Resources engaged on the fires include water tenders, engines and hand crews.

“It is important to note the timing of these fires,” Forestry’s northwest Oregon area director Andy White said. “ODF encourages and supports landowners to take advantage of optimal conditions for fuels reduction work on their property. Precautions are taken, forecasts are considered and every effort is made to ensure minimal impact and maximum benefit to the landscape.

"This is a valuable reminder of how quickly conditions can change and highlights the value of our partnerships with landowners and other agencies.”

Firefighters flew a contracted aircraft Tuesday and Wednesday to check on known fires and detect potential new starts or smoke from rekindled slash piles.

“Given the steep terrain, remote access, and multiple ownerships across the valley, this aviation resource is a valuable tool in covering a lot of ground in a short time span,” a news release said.

Forestry officials encouraged the public to be wary of causing new fires with backyard burns.

“Smoke may be visible in some areas as resources remain engaged on these fires,” the news release said.

Despite some smoke, air quality remains in the good to moderate range statewide.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter, photographer and videographer in Oregon for 11 years. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.