Eastern Oregon’s massive Durkee Fire now 80% contained at nearly 295,000 acres

DURKEE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Crews battling Eastern Oregon's Durkee Fire, the largest in the state so far this season, have reached 80% containment as mop-up and monitoring work continues for the more than 400 firefighters on the lines and in support roles.

Here's Sunday's fire update:

DURKEE FIRE

• Size: 294,690 acres                             
• Containment: 80%                
• Location: 1 mile west of Durkee, OR
• Start Date: July 17, 2024                   
• Personnel: 432                       
• Cause: Lightning

Current Situation

Please drive carefully near the fire area so firefighters can focus on their work. 

Firefighters made excellent progress yesterday, bringing containment to 80%. The increased acreage of the fire is due to better mapping as firefighters ground truthed containment lines. Across the fire area, firefighters focused on patrol and mop up using infrared data and an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS or drone) to seek and destroy scattered hotspots through diligent gridding. They also backhauled unneeded equipment and started suppression repair on dozer lines in some areas.

Today, firefighters have new infrared maps from last night’s flight to help identify remaining heat. After windy conditions overnight, crews will check the perimeter to ensure heat is still within containment lines. They will continue reconnaissance on the south and east sides of the fire, mapping firelines and riparian areas for future suppression repair work.

Firefighters will continue monitoring and mopping up heat found on the interior of the east side of the fire yesterday, mapping firelines and working on suppression repair. On the north and west side of the fire, crews will be using a UAS to identify remaining heat and continue mop up and suppression repair. The swing shift will work from noon to midnight to respond to any needs for initial attack.

Weather and Fire Behavior

The fire area received scattered rainfall last night totaling about 0.02-0.05 inches. Despite the sparse moisture, relative humidity recovered to 60-70% overnight. A mostly sunny afternoon is expected with temperatures in the low to mid 90s. Fire behavior is expected to be calm today. Later in the week, dry conditions return, but temperatures are not expected to rebound into the triple digits.

Evacuations

The Malheur County Sheriff’s Office (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069245917855) and the Baker County Sheriff’s Office (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064434892363) have issued evacuation orders for multiple areas during the Durkee Fire. Please continue to be vigilant and stay tuned to their Facebook pages for the latest information as weather patterns and fire activity may change evacuation levels.

Residents in Level 3 Evacuations “GO NOW” should leave immediately and not return to their property until evacuation levels are lowered. Carry enough supplies to support you and your family for multiple days. A real-time map of fire evacuations is available on the State of Oregon Fire Dashboard (https://www.arcgis.com/apps/instant/portfolio/index.html?appid=22d04c007866419c91ccf00d097526c8).

Closures:

• The Baker County Sheriff's Office has closed Burnt River Canyon Road to non-local, non-emergency traffic.
• I-84 and other highways: Please go to tripcheck.com for current road closures as the situation is dynamic and subject to change.
• A burn ban is currently in effect for all of Malheur County (https://www.malheurco.org/category/public-notices), and all Bureau of Land Management lands in Malheur and Baker counties.
• The temporary flight restriction has been reduced over the Durkee Fire. More information is available at https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_2285.html. Remember, if you fly we can’t! If a drone or other aircraft enters the air space, all firefighting aircraft will be grounded.

Additional Resources:

• For current air quality information, visit fire.airnow.gov.
• Weather and fire behavior could impact transportation, power transmission, cell service and other utilities. Monitor IdahoPower.com for information.
• Post-fire resources for eastern Oregon livestock and agricultural producers are available. For immediate assistance associated with livestock, forage, and crop losses contact your county’s USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. Learn more about these and other disaster relief programs at www.farmers.gov/protection-recovery/wildfire and contact your FSA Service Center.
• For technical expertise regarding livestock, post-fire rehabilitation and land management, call Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center at (541) 573-8900.
• Questions related to agriculture and natural resources, family and community health, and more may be directed to the OSU Extension Service office in your county (https://extension.oregonstate.edu/find-us).
• If you don’t have access to a computer and/or internet connection, Extension offices house Ag Disaster Relief Resource Computers, which are available to producers to access federal/state relief programs.
• Oregon Wildfire Response & Recovery website (wildfire.oregon.gov/recovery) provides guidance on topics including wildfire insurance, filing a homeowners claim after the fire, returning to a home that survived a fire, replacing lost or missing documents and next steps for people whose homes or businesses burned.
• For longer term management needs, contact the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) field office in your county to explore current funding/technical support available and inform future program offerings in your county. Go to www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/oregon/whats-available-in-my-county.