NOTE: The Enterprise is making coverage of this fire information available to all because of the emergency circumstances.
UPDATE, 4:29 P.M., Malheur County Sheriff Travis Johnson has expanded a significant Level 2 – “Be set”—evacuation order for the Hole in the Ground Fire north of Arock and issued a new evacuation map.
VALE – Fire crews are battling the Hole in the Ground Fire 22 miles northwest of Jordan Valley and the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Level 2 – “Get set” – evacuation order for Danner Loop Road, west of Jordan Valley.
The Hole in the Ground blaze was at 35,000 acres on the morning of Friday, July 26,
Homes, outbuildings and ranchers are threatened by the fire.
The Bureau of Land Management crews and water drops by aircraft helped slow the fire while a dozer line was scratched around south end of the blaze last night, according to Larisa Bogardus, public affairs specialist for the Vale District of the BLM.
Bogardus said aviation assets will be used on the fire again today. Bogardus said three fire engines, two dozers and the Jordan Valley Rangeland Fire Protection Agency are working to extinguish the blaze.
Meanwhile, the Durkee Fire north of Malheur County, swelled by 5,000 acres to the northwest during the night of Thursday, July 25.
Heavy winds helped propel the expansion of the fire.
Jessica Reed, public information officer with the Durkee Fire incident command, said on Friday, July 26, the blaze – the largest in the U.S. – saw “moderate” growth on Interstate 84, north of Huntington and Lime.
She said crews are focused on protecting roughly 500 people who live in and around Huntington and Lime.
In a Friday, July 26, press release, fire officials said the positive effects from the rain on Wednesday are “no longer present.”
Reed said the region remains in a “fuels and fire behavior advisory,” meaning that fuels, tree shrubs and tall grass are extremely dry, according to Reed.
“Fuels are extremely combustible and will just light up because they do not have any moisture,” she said.
Reed said fire crews managed to contain 20% of the Durkee Fire on the southern tip near Brogan and Jamieson Thursday, meaning a protective line is in place with little chance for fire to move beyond.
The Durkee Fire, the largest in the U.S., is sandwiched between the Cow Valley Fire footprint to the southwest and the Thompson Fire to the northeast. Fire officials consider the blaze a “mega fire,” a large wildfire that ballooned to more than 100,000 acres.
The perimeter is 169 miles, comparable to driving from Vale to Umatilla, according to the press release.
The lightning-caused Durkee Fire ignited on July 17 on Bureau of Land Management land, not far outside the town of Durkee.
In the span of a week, the Durkee Fire has continued on a rampage
across the countryside, swelling to 288,690 acres as of Friday, July 26, spreading south and north and then boiling to the northwest. So far, two structures have been reported destroyed.
The Durkee Fire follows the Cow Valley Fire, which erupted on July 11 and burned more than 200 square miles of grazing range north of Vale.
Also, fire crews have been responding to the Grasshopper Fire, a 1,500 blaze west of Vale, on U.S. Highway 20. The state Transportation Department closed the highway early Friday morning, but the highway is back open now.
Meanwhile, crews continue to respond to a collection of fires triggered by lightning east of Interstate 84 between Crandall Creek and Richland in Baker County.
The group of fires, dubbed the Badlands Complex, consists of the Crandall, Gold Creek, Thompson, North Thompson, Wood Creek, Williams Creek, Daly, Sheep Mountain, Chalk, Timber Canyon, Powder and Coyote blazes.
Maribeth Pecotte, public information officer with the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team, said the blazes have grown to 51,196 acres.
No part of that fire was listed as contained as of Friday, July 26, meaning a protective line in place with little chance for fire to move beyond, according to Pecotte.
The most significant blazes are the Thompson and Coyote Fires, located along the Snake River south of the Powder River tributary into Brownlee Reservoir.
Pecotte said the Coyote Fire made a push west during Wednesday’s severe storm. She said the firefighters had to stop work and seek shelter until the worst of the storm passed.
Pecotte said the Coyote and Powder blazes showed little movement on Thursday. She said large tankers dropping retardant on the land and Rangeland Fire Protection Agencies, local volunteer firefighters from Vale, Burnt River and other areas.
The volunteers, whose main focus is to protect the rangeland, have been on the fires for up to 12 days straight, Pecotte said.
“We’d be in a spot without them,” she said.
Pecotte said federal wildfire resources are nearly tapped out with blazes burning on the West Coast and other areas. The local volunteers from the Rangeland Fire Protection Agencies have picked up much of the slack.
The Bureau of Land Management and the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office seek help from the public after finding arson a possible cause in the Cow Valley and Bonita Fires and “other small wildfires in the Malheur Reservoir area.”
Anyone with information about any of the fires can call We Tip Anonymous at 1-800-47-ARSON, or online at wetip.com.
Officials did not release the amount of the reward.
Travis Johnson, Malheur County sheriff, said arson was “possible” in all of the fires.
“The investigation is still early on. The fact there were multiple fires is pretty suspicious,” he said.
WHAT TO KNOW
WEATHER
The National Weather Service forecasts a high temperature of 95 on Friday, July 26. Winds will top out 5 mph and remain calm through the afternoon.
EVACUATIONS
*In Baker County, Level 1 – “Be ready” – orders were issued in Huntington and Snake River Road.
*In Malheur County, Travis Johnson, the county’s sheriff, lifted all evacuation orders on Thursday, July 25, except for the Level 2 – “Get set” order for Danner Creek Road.
SHELTER
*Four Rivers Cultural Center was established as a shelter for fire victims, operated by the American Red Cross. However, the shelter was scheduled to shut down Friday, July 26, at noon.
For more information, call 1-800-733-2767.
KEY RESOURCES:
OFFICIAL INFORMATION:
Malheur County Sheriff’s Office: Facebook page with updates
Malheur County Emergency Management: Facebook page with updates
Fire command team: Facebook page with updates
Oregon Department of Emergency Services: Evacuation map – statewide
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