NOTE: The Enterprise is making coverage of this fire information available to all because of the emergency circumstances.
VALE—The Durkee Fire—at one point the largest wildfire in the United States—is now nearly 50% contained as firefighters continue to battle it and other wildfires on Sunday, July 28, in and around Malheur County.
Here is an update on the status of the fires burning in the area.
Durkee Fire: The Durkee Fire is 49% contained, meaning a protective line is in place with little chance for the fire to move beyond it. The fire remains most active along the northwestern front of the blaze around Bridgeport, Clarks Creek and Dark Canyon, according to Brook Smith, public information officer with Southern Area Gold Team. Crews contained the blaze from River Bend along the Interstate 84 corridor to the southern tip of the Durkee Fire perimeter.
Smith said today and Monday will be important as firefighters take advantage of slightly better firefighting conditions before temperatures rise above 100 later next week, as the National Weather Service predicts.
A public meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 28, at 6:30 p.m. at Churchill School in Baker City, 3451 Broadway St. Meanwhile, a Level 2 – “Be set” evacuation notice has been issued for Rye Valley Lane and Mormon Basin Road, south to the Baker County line. This area was previously a Level 3 – “Go” but has been reduced. All other evacuation levels remain the same.
Badlands Complex Fire: The collection of fires east of Interstate 84 between Crandall Creek and Richland in Baker County has grown to 54,416 acres, according to a Sunday, July 28 press release from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Two. To date, no part of the blaze has been contained. The two largest fires are the Thompson and Coyote Fires, located along the Snake River south of the Powder River tributary into Brownlee Reservoir. The Coyote blaze expanded by roughly 3,000 acres. Crews were able to keep the Thompson Fire from spreading. More resources are expected to arrive today as supply remains scarce due to several wildfires burning across the U.S., according to the press release.
Hole in the Ground Fire: The blaze, burning 22 miles northwest of Jordan Valley, did not grow overnight, according to Larisa Bogardus, public information specialist with the Vale District Bureau of Land Management. As of Friday, July 26, the fire was estimated to be burning at 50,000 acres. Bogardus said the fire’s acreage has stayed the same. She said there is still some “interior smoldering” on the fire, but the fire lines are holding. “Due to the size of the footprint, we’ll monitor it aerially in addition to on the ground,” Bogardus said. Malheur County Sheriff Travis Johnson on Friday, July 26, issued a Level 2 – “Be set” evacuation notice for Danner Loop Road, west of Jordan Valley and later expanded the order to include significant portions of Arock. Evacuation levels appear to be unchanged.
Grasshopper Flats Fire: The fire, burning 2,400 acres near U.S. Highway 20 and west of Dishrag Road, erupted about seven miles northeast of Juntura. The blaze still needs ” a lot of line work,” according to Bogardus. She said a hand crew is “on loan” from the Durkee Fire to help with the firefighting effort, while another crew will arrive on Sunday, July 28.
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