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Rogue River Re-Opens As Fire Threat Diminishes

InciWeb. Firefighters working on the Big Windy Fire raft down the Rogue River.

Rafters can once again try their luck shooting the rapids on a popular southern Oregon river.

The Rogue River re-opened to pleasure-seekers Monday after weekend rains tamped down some wildfires in the area. The nearly two-week closure was a major economic hit to businesses that specialize in river recreation.

Pete Wallstrom owns Momentum River Expeditions. He says his first guided trip down the Rogue won't be until Thursday as staffers try to get hold of people who canceled their trips.

"It's a pretty big vacation for people. So it's generally not a last-minute thing," Wallstrom says. "We have trips the following week that we're trying to get people back, basically."

Complicating things: A shift in the wind or another round of lightning strikes could lead to the river closing again. Fire managers continue to battle several large blazes around the Northwest.

In central Idaho, the Elk and Pony complexes of fires continue to threaten communities near the Boise National Forest.

In central Washington, two fires covering more than 86,000 acres continue to burn south of Wenatchee.