When it burned through a rural southern Oregon subdivision on Sunday, the Moccasin Hill fire destroyed many more homes than fire officials initially reported.
Officials announced Wednesday that the fire destroyed 33 structures, up from the initial estimate of 20.
The Moccasin Hill fire ignited on Sunday, and prompted hundreds of people to evacuate from a rural subdivision outside of Sprague River, Eugene-based TV station KVAL reported Wednesday. As the fire spread rapidly over the weekend, officials first estimated that it destroyed six homes and 14 outbuildings.
But on Wednesday officials discovered an additional 17 destroyed homes, and some 16 destroyed outbuildings within the subdivision.
Here are some of the latest photos from the Moccasin Hill fire, which is now 35% contained. pic.twitter.com/khaDKvlbTC
— News10 (@KTVL) July 16, 2014
The structures were all damaged on Sunday, when the fire first broke out. As of Wednesday, the fire had burned 2,500 acres. Crews have established a full containment line around the fire but are working toward the center to put out hot spots.
The cause of this fire is still under investigation.
Oregon, like much of the West Coast, has been drought-stricken for months. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that Klamath County, the Moccasin Hill fire is burning, is almost entirely in a severe drought.
As we reported on Tuesday, more than 100 wildfires ignited in an Oregon lightning storm on Sunday.
