Comment on Firefighters work to contain Gilliam County fire

PENDLETON, Ore. — Crews say they’ve gotten the better of a wildfire that has scorched about 56 square miles and threatened homes in eastern Oregon. A spokeswoman for the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center tells The East Oregonian (http://bit.ly/2aGYe1V) crews expected to have the Scott Canyon fire fully contained by Monday night. The blaze started Thursday along the banks of the John Day River and spread toward the community of Mikkalo — halfway between Arlington and Condon. The fire has been determined to be human-caused, but investigators are working to figure out exactly how it started. Ground crews had battled the flames with help from six single-engine air tankers and three helicopters, which dumped water and retardant around the perimeter. The structural damage was limited to one unoccupied homestead, which was completely destroyed.