BURNS, Ore. -- A wildfire that burned 140,000-acres in sparsely populated southeast Oregon generated lots of traffic in stores, even as it caused repeated closures of U.S. 20.

Firefighters went between shifts to a Rite-Aid in Harney County, stocking up on items such as toothpaste, deodorant and foot balm. At a Chevron station, assistant manager Kiley Richardson saw a 30 percent increase in diesel fuel sales as fire engines and water tenders stopped to fill their tanks. For weeks, Richardson doubled his orders on items such as cigarettes and bottled water.

"It's been a big boost to our small, local economy," Richardson said.

Wildfires can put a community on edge, but the economic impact can be pleasant for some. From a contractor renting portable toilets, to a local stationery store selling ink cartridges to a fire team's communications office, the Egley fire brought a brief boom to Harney County, which has the state's highest unemployment.

"I've seen several incidents like this over the years, where there is always a short-term boost to employment counts and spending," said Jason Yohannan, regional economist with the Oregon Employment Department in La Grande. "It's not a boost you want to see, but it happens."

But not everyone was a winner. Tens of thousands of acres of rangeland were burned over in the Riley area, hurting ranchers. The county tallied agricultural sales of about $68 million last year, and more than two-thirds of that was from cattle sales, according to the Oregon State University extension service.

And with lots of hunting land now scorched, Dale Martin, owner of the Riley Store & Archery, expects fewer hunters to stop in next month.

The fire, sparked by an early July lightning burst, is now contained. Most of the firefighters have gone home or moved on to other blazes.

Business has already slowed at the Rite-Aid.