UPDATE 9:10 p.m. Wednesday: A wildfire that erupted west of Vale has grown to 12,000 acres, according to Larisa Bogardus, a public information officer with the Vale District Bureau of Land Management. Bogardus said the BLM called in a Type 3 incident management to bring additional resources to free up firefighters for other responses.
UPDATE 6:10 p.m. Wednesday: The Little Valley Fire near Harper has grown to nearly 4,000 acres, according to a press release from the Vale District Bureau of Land Management.
Significant resources are battling the blaze that was reported around 1 p.m. after a storm cell moved through the area, the Vale BLM press release noted. Six engines from the Vale Rangeland Fire Protection Association and the Bureau of Land Management are working to contain the fire. According to the press release, four large air tankers and five single-engine air tankers are dropping fire retardant on the blaze, and a helicopter is pouring water on it from the Malheur River. Additionally, the BLM noted that two dozers—one from each agency—are also on the fire.
UPDATE 3:08 p.m. Wednesday: U.S. Highway 20 has reopened between Vale and Harper, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.
A wildfire in northern Malheur County fire on Wednesday, June 26, is burning on 3,500 acres about one mile south of Highway 20 near Harper, causing authorities to shut the highway down between Vale and Harper, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Larisa Bogardus, public information officer with the Vale District Bureau of Land Management, said the blaze, reported at 12:55 p.m., is threatening two structures. The fire is burning in the Little Valley area.
Bogardus said rangeland fire crews and aircraft were on the fire. It’s unclear how many engines or aerial resources have been dedicated to fighting the fire.
This is a developing story.
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