Fire personnel observes the damage leftover by the Bootleg Fire, one of the largest blazes in Oregon's recorded history. Photo: U.S. Forest Service
After burning hundreds of thousands of acres in nearly 40 days, the Bootleg Fire has been 100% contained, according to KATU.
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) was "thrilled to announce" the big development on Sunday (August 15). Firefighters and personnel have been battling the wildfire for 39 days, which consumed over 413,000 acres of the Beaver State's land. That's just under 650 square miles of the Fremont-Winema National Forest and private land northeast of Klamath Falls.
Two more large wildfires also reached 100% containment, the Forest Service added. "Huge thanks to our dedicated & incredibly skilled fire personnel for this great accomplishment," officials wrote on Twitter.
The Bootleg Fire first broke out on July 6 this year and made national headlines for how many acres were being scorched in a short amount of time. It combined with the Log Fire to become one of the largest fires in Oregon's recorded history, according to the Incident Information System. The New York Times even said Bootleg was the largest wildfire in the U.S. this year while it was raging.
Even though Bootleg has been extinguished, many more wildfires continue to plague the lands. The Jack Fire and Black Butte Fire are respectively the largest blazes in the state as of Monday (August 16), according to the Statesman Journal. If you want to keep track of Oregon wildfires this year, click here.