Oregon wildfire threatens town as fourth firefighter dies weeks after Colorado blaze

As dry and windy conditions intensified a major wildfire near a city in central Oregon, authorities on Saturday confirmed that a fourth firefighter had died weeks after he and several colleagues were overwhelmed by a rapidly spreading wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border.

Nathan Matthews, 43, of Lincoln, Nebraska, died on Friday, the federal Interior Department said in a statement.

Several large wildfires continued to rage across the western United States, with one of the most severe — and the country's top firefighting priority — burning just a few miles (5 kilometres) north of Sisters, a central Oregon city with a population of around 3,000.

Strong winds, with gusts reaching 30 mph (50 kph), threatened to drive the flames into new areas. Despite the challenging conditions, firefighters made progress in containing the blaze, and officials expressed confidence that Sisters would remain out of danger once the strongest winds eased on Sunday.

“It's going to take a while to put it out entirely. But as long as it stops moving, I think that’ll get people to relax a little bit,” Sisters Mayor Jennifer Letz said.

By Saturday, the lightning-triggered wildfire had scorched about 40 square miles (105 square kilometres) and was 5% contained. Around 30 evacuees from areas north of Sisters were staying at a shelter in the local high school, while a similar number remained in recreational vehicles parked nearby, Letz said.

She added that the city itself was not under immediate threat and that normal business activities were continuing.

“We’re not necessarily asking everybody to come to Sisters. But it’s safe here,” said Letz.

Months of dry weather, below-average snowfall in some regions, repeated heatwaves and erratic winds have fuelled wildfires across Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado and other western states this summer.

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In neighbouring Canada, 926 wildfires were active on Saturday, including 82 classified as out of control, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System.

Roughly 300 aircraft and 5,300 personnel were involved in firefighting operations, including 133 working in northwestern Ontario alone, according to the province's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services agency.

Ontario's largest wildfire had spread across approximately 1,200 square miles (3,200 square kilometres).

The firefighter who died was part of a crew that deployed tent-like emergency shelters on June 27 after flames rapidly closed in. Three colleagues — Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, 27, and Sydney Watson, 26 — died at the scene.

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They belonged to a Helitack crew, a specialist unit transported by helicopter into remote areas to tackle newly ignited wildfires before they spread. The team had been deployed in Mesa County, Colorado, west of Grand Junction.

Matthews and another firefighter were airlifted for medical treatment following the incident. The Interior Department declined on Saturday to comment on the medical care Matthews received, his firefighting career or the condition of the surviving firefighter.

Watson, Hutcherson and Barker were honoured at a memorial service earlier this month. Funeral arrangements for Matthews have not yet been announced. (AP)