Lightning-sparked fires in NE Oregon burn thousands of acres as numerous new fire starts emerge

La GRANDE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Department of Forestry is getting even busier in northeast Oregon as more lightning-sparked fires come to light, 17 blazes in just 24 hours, three getting large.

Here's their update:

ODF Northeast Oregon District responds to multiple fire starts after lightning storm; ODF IMT 3 deployed to Battle Mountain Complex
Oregon Dept. of Forestry - 07/18/24 2:00 PM

The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Northeast District has responded to 17 fires in the last 24 hours as a result of the recent lightning event that moved across Oregon, officials said Thursday afternoon. Three large fires of note are the Durkee Fire, the Snake Fire and the NF Owen Fire, all of which started late Wednesday afternoon and evening. 

The district has combined the NF Owen Fire (approx. 400 acres) and the Snake Fire (approx. 1,000 acres) to create the Battle Mountain Complex near Ukiah. ODF’s Incident Management Team 3 has been deployed to the Battle Mountain Complex and was being in-briefed this afternoon.

The team will take unified command of the complex with the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Green Team at 0900 on Friday. They will be working in close partnership with the Umatilla National Forest. 

The Durkee Fire is about 2 miles south of Durkee, Oregon and has currently burned approximately 3,000 acres, 800 of which are on ODF-protected land. The fire is in steep, rocky terrain that is difficult to access. NW Team 6 took command of the fire this morning at 0600. 

ODF Northeast District continues to respond to new fire starts as the day continues. Early detection is integral to successfully putting out new starts. Firefighters will be doing patrols of effected areas, and the district will be utilizing its smoke detection cameras as well. If you see a smoke column, call 9-1-1 immediately. 

The Oregon Department of Forestry is urging Oregonians to actively participate in wildfire prevention and avoid bringing fire hazards on the landscape. With resources spread thin, less human-caused fires can make all the difference and allow resources to focus on the new lightning-caused fires. 

ODF’s Northeast Oregon District is currently in Extreme (red) fire danger and there are additional restrictions for industrial forest operations on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry in Northeast Oregon. 

Current fire restrictions for forestlands in Northeast Oregon can be found at www.bmidc.org or by calling the Northeast Oregon Fire Prevention line: (541) 975-3027.

http://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com/ is your spot for current fire information in the Blue Mountains. Find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/oregondeptofforestryNEO/

Call Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch at (541)963-7171 or dial 9-1-1 to report a fire.