Sometime just after dawn last week, someone sparked a fire along a dusty gravel road in Cow Valley, sage-and-grass country populated more by cows than people.
Whether that act was deliberate or accidental remains under investigation.
But that small start on Thursday, July 11, grew into what is now called the Cow Valley Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in recent times in Malheur County.
Within four days, the fire had blazed a path more than 27 miles long, taking out precious summer and fall feeding ground for cattle. The fire burned out corrals and took out utility poles. Equipment in its path was seared and several outbuildings were turned to ash.
But no lives or homes were lost, a mark of the tireless effort of ranchers turned volunteer firefighters, of neighbors helping neighbors, and of professional fire crews bringing to bear their skills and their equipment.
As of Tuesday, July 16, the fire was simmering down with crews closing off more significant spread. At last count, the conflagration covered 133,000 acres – more than 200 square miles. The edge around the fire measured 163 miles.
As the threat developed to communities of Brogan and Willowcreek and Westfall and the city of Vale over the weekend, state authorities opened the pipeline for help.
Vale Elementary School transformed into a fire command center. Experts in fire weather and air tactics and medical care and other skills gathered. School grounds were turned into camping spots, firefighters splitting between day and night shifts to keep chasing down the monster turning the country black.
The federal and state leaders of the fire effort at one point had at their command nearly 400 people, 36 fire engines and an air force of air tankers and helicopters. Yet with hot weather forecast for days ahead and rough country to contest, authorities say it may be another two weeks before the Cow Valley Fire can be declared contained.
That doesn’t mean out – that means a line ringing the entire fire sufficient to stop any expansion.
Malheur County officials were expected to declare a disaster this week, opening the way for possible state relief to fire victims.
With the focus on controlling the fire, the damage assessments will wait. But the scorching of miles of grazing range will deeply impact Malheur County’s cattle industry, the largest sector in the local farming economy.
Too, wildlife from deer to antelope to rabbits have lost forage and home.
Meantime, Idaho Power crews took to the field to make repairs, replacing 80 utility poles in the fire zone.
By Monday, firefighters, air tankers and weather had teamed up to check the growth of the fire to the east, staying away from U.S. Highway 26 and stopping north of Vale. The concern was on the west flank of the fire, prompting Malheur County Sheriff Travis Johnson to put the Westfall area on notice on Sunday, July 14, to be set to evacuate on a moment’s notice.
The fire’s onset
The fire was reported about 7 a.m. Thursday, July 11, spotted on Indian Gulch Road, north of U.S. Highway 26 and about a 15-minute drive from the rural community of Ironside.
The initial response came from the Ironside Rangeland Fire Protection Association, volunteers who have been answering fire calls for 60 years. They were soon joined by U.S. BLM crews but the pace of growth was breathtaking.
By mid-morning, authorities said the fire had covered 200 acres. Through the day the size reported changed – 2,600 acres, then 6,000 acres, and by evening 16,000 acres. The Cow Valley Fire aimed at Brogan, roughly 18 miles from the starting point.
Authorities closed U.S. Highway 26 from Ironside to Brogan, which was considered for evacuation. Four dozer crews worked through that first night to bulldoze a protective dirt ring around the community. Meantime, ranchers helped ranchers, racing to gather cattle and herd them out of harm’s way.
As they worked, two state task forces drove through the night to reach Brogan, the first time in 30 years Malheur County has needed such help. The task forces are comprised of equipment and firefighters from local departments in western Oregon. The American Red Cross mobilized to open a fire victims shelter at the Malheur County Fairgrounds in Ontario.
On Friday, July 12, roughly 30 hours after the fire was reported, Gov. Tina Kotek declared the Cow Valley Fire a conflagration as its size was mapped at 73,827 acres and no containment in place. Following the governor’s declaration, Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple dispatched two more task forces to Brogan to protect homes and other buildings.
By Friday night, the out-of-control fire was visible from Vale.
The battle intensifies
The growing size of the fire was matched by a growing size in resources being deployed.
At day’s end Friday, the BLM reported that among the resources were 120 people, nine engines and two water tenders.
Two days later on Sunday, that had mushroomed to 362 people, 36 engines and nine water tenders.
As many as 18 aircraft were deployed as well – helicopters dropping water and single-engine and large air tankers painting the range with streams of retardant.
All of that was directed by a new command center set up at the Vale Elementary School. The federal Northwest Team 6 and the state Red Incident Management Team formed a unified command, with federal resources focused on direct fire suppression and the state crews working to assess and protect homes and other structures.
The community got a jolt Saturday afternoon when evacuation alerts went out. The Malheur County Sheriff’s Office put the stretch from Brogan to Willowcreek on notice to “get set” to evacuate. The entire city of Vale, with 2,000 people, were already warned to “be ready” to evacuate by packing essentials and closely monitoring fire reports.
Those alerts last about 24 hours, as Vale by Sunday afternoon was declared out of danger and the people along the highway going north to Brogan were eased back to just being on alert for a possible evacuation.
But the Westfall area west of Vale was put on a “get set” notice as the fire continued to push southwest.
By Monday, the threat to homes elsewhere had diminished and three state task forces were released.
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