A tanker plane out of BC drops a load of retardant on the O’Neil Fire Wednesday afternoon. The fire had people lining up along O’Neil Road to watch planes and helicopters bomb the fire.
OROVILLE – The O’Neal Road Fire, has grown to over 200 acres, according to Okanogan County Emergency Management and continues to burn in sagebrush, scrub and sparse areas of timber on Mt. Hull on Wednesday, July 3.
The fire was reported in the early afternoon and crews from the Oroville Fire Department and the state Department of Natural Resources responded. Two helicopters were dipping water from an Oroville-Tonasket Irrigation District Reservoir and the Okanogan River and dropping it on the fire. As many as five small float planes were also scooping water from Osoyoos Lake to drop. A large tanker plane from Canada was also dropping retardant on the flames.
O’Neil and Swanson Mill roads have been closed and it has been reported, but not confirmed, that one structure has been lost. Emergency Management says that will the fire has been knocked down, it was still burning as of early evening.
