PORTLAND -- The largest wildfire in Oregon in recent memory is endangering cattle in a sparsely populated area.
The blaze has charred more than 800 square miles on the west rim of the Owyhee Canyon, surpassing the size of a 2002 wildfire that scorched about 780 square miles of the Siskiyou National Forest.
It's one of two large blazes burning Friday near Oregon's borders with Nevada and Idaho. Another has threatened a handful of homes near Harney Lake, prompting authorities to recommend evacuations.
Crews brought in three helicopters to help battle the smaller blaze that has spread quickly through grass and sagebrush since igniting on Sunday.
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, a Republican who represents the affected areas, said the federal agriculture department would find farmlands in nearby counties where ranchers can relocate their cattle for emergency grazing.
