A wildfire is blazing out of control near Warm Springs, Oregon, having burned through approximately 40 square miles of land since it was sparked five days ago. Firefighters are making very little headway in their efforts to battle the blaze and officials warn that they expect the fire to continue to grow significantly before any real progress in containment can be made.

According to the most recent update from InciWeb, posted in the very early hours of Friday morning, the fire wreaking havoc near Warm Springs -- an area approximately 100 miles southeast of Portland - has been dubbed the Shaniko Butte Wildfire.

This inferno was ignited by lightning on Sunday, July 13 at approximately 8:45 p.m., and has burned through 25,000 acres of land since then. According to the official incident report, once sparked the fire spread quickly in light, dry, grassy fuels and was pushed by winds from varying directions. According to a verified report, as of 1:37 a.m. on Friday, July 18 the fire was only 10 percent contained,.

Incident Commander Ross Williams told reporters that this wildfire has been overly active through the past few days, burning through more than 7,000 acres between Wednesday and Thursday. By Thursday morning the fire had spread significantly further to the north and east.

In terms of "projected incident activity," the blaze is now officially established in the Mutton Mountain canyons on the east slope, Eagle Creek to the north and Quartz Creek on the west slope. The fire perimeter has also reached the Deschutes River in the town of Dant.

"Extreme wind-driven fire behavior with three-to-five foot flame lengths in grass ... with torching in the juniper trees [is occurring]," one fire official told reporters. "Winds are causing the fire to burn rapidly down canyon toward the Deschutes River."

According to fire personnel, the blaze is predicted to continue to spread north and east. Over the next 24 hours winds are expected to push the fire east toward the Deschutes River. In the coming 48 hours, there is reportedly "considerable risk" that the fire will actually cross the Deschutes and continue to spread even further east.

There are currently 453 firefighters assigned to battle the Shaniko Butte wildfire. Since Wednesday firefighting hand crews, several fire engines, a bulldozer and a light helicopter have been fighting this inferno. Adding more fuel to the proverbial fire, fire personnel are dealing with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and wind speeds upwards of 15 to 25 miles per hour

An additional Type 1 crew and a heavy helicopter were dispatched to the affected area midweek as winds pushed the north side of the fire across the S-430 Road and the east side of the blaze into upper portions of Eagle Creek near Mutton Mountains.

Evacuation preparations are underway as officials have issued a Level 2 Notice for all residences along Road S-300, advising residents to be prepared to leave their homes "at a moment's notice." For residents living in the vicinity of Dant, a Level 1 Notice has been issued, advising them to begin making preparations to leave their homes in case the fire approaches.

The outlook on planned actions for day operations on Friday is as follows:

A specialized firefighting group has been assigned to provide structure protection both in the Deschutes River corridor and in and around the fire area.

Meanwhile, suppression forces will continue establishing and securing containment lines on the west, north, and south perimeters while using the Deschutes River as a containment line on the east side. However, once again it should be noted that there is a fair chance for the fire to successfully cross the river and spread further east.

As firefighters and other officials continue to provide the media with updates on ongoing fire activity and any progress made in battling the blaze, Latin Post will ensure that our readers are provided with the most up-to-date information on this incident. Please check back with us throughout the day on Friday in the coming days and possibly weeks until full containment is achieved.