Two Umatilla County wildfires fully contained, Hat Rock at nearly 17,000 acres; task force wraps up work, heads home
(Update: Task force reports full containment, management returned to local officials)
HERMISTON, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Two Umatilla County wildfires, including the nearly 17,000 Hat Rock Fire east of Hermiston, are now fully contained, according to a task force assigned by the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office, which on Saturday morning turned back management to local officials and headed home.
“Our crews have worked hard to build and maintain a perimeter around the fire area," Incident Commander Lance Lighty said.
No flare-ups have occurred since Thursday morning, officials said. The final acreage for Hat Rock Fire is 16,816 acres, with 100% containment.
At the height of the fire, a total of 243 structures were threatened, with 65 of those being residences, but no structures were damaged or lost. The Mt. Hebron Fire was transitioned back to local authorities Friday, with 100% containment and a final acreage of 370 acres.
Investments made through Senate Bill 762 in 2021 made a significant difference in keeping the fire to the smallest footprint and protecting communities, officials said.
"The collaboration with the Oregon Department of Forestry is highly appreciated and made a difference in fighting this fire," Saturday's final task force report said.
All task forces were heading home Saturday morning, along with the incident management team.
“I want to thank the Umatilla County Fire District and all the firefighters for their hard work, the landowners and community members that rose to the occasion to protect their neighbors, the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office for their collaborative work, and the community for their support of the firefighters working long hours," OSFM Agency Administrator Travis Medema said.
Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office has lowered all evacuation orders except Juniper Canyon Road, which remains at Level 1 (READY) this morning. Please refer to the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page for further updates as the remaining evacuation order is anticipated to be removed later today.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/firedistrictone
Meanwhile, the Wasco County Sheriff's Office said Friday that the Mile Post 87 Fire that broke out Wednesday near Interstate 84 in The Dalles and burned about 150 acres has reached 80% containment, and all evacuation areas have been dropped to Level 1 "Be Ready."
The sheriff's office said the fire destroyed three homes, including two mobile homes, and damaged another mobile home, outbuilding and two pump houses.
