Containment reaches 20% on Malheur County’s 133,000-acre Cow Valley Fire; sheriff’s office lifts all evacuation levels
(Update: Wednesday morning update; evacuations lifted)
IRONSIDE, Ore. (KTVZ) – Hundreds of firefighters have brought the nearly week-old Cow Valley Fire in Eastern Oregon's Malheur County to 20% containment, and despite growing to more than 133,000 acres, enough progress has been made that all evacuation levels have been lifted.
The Malheur County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook Wednesday morning, "After daily briefings with our Fire Crews that are working the Cow Valley Fire, we have determined that we can LIFT all Evacuation Readiness Conditions for ALL areas. Conditions have improved to the point that we are confident that homes are no longer at risk. Fire crews continue to work in these areas, evaluating and rehabilitating the burned ground."
Wednesday morning update:
Vale, OR— Significant progress has been made along the fire perimeter located north of Highway 26; no heat or smoke has been detected in the last 48 hours. The western flank from Highway 26 southward approximately 6 miles is also showing no signs of heat or smoke. As a result of successful fire suppression, night shift operations have concluded.
Yesterday, the fire did not increase in acreage. Crews were successful in connecting the primary fireline between Swede Flats and Buckbrush Creek Road through the Dry Creek drainage. In the unburned area along East Prong Dry Creek, no smoke has been detected.
Today, resources will work to improve existing firelines on the western edge in the vicinity of Pole Creek and South Fork Pole Creek and on the east side near Black Creek and South Fork Black Creek. Along the entire perimeter, ground crews, assisted by UAS (unstaffed aerial systems) will continue to patrol for smoke and hot spots and suppress any that are located. Crews will also improve mapping of both dozer and hand lines for impending suppression repair.
BONITA FIRE: The Bonita Fire is 2,727 acres and 85% contained. Minimal fire behavior has been observed due to suppression efforts, containment features and fuel consumption.
WEATHER AND SMOKE: Today, there is a slight chance of showers over the fire, mainly in the morning hours. Winds will be variable today, northwest in the morning shifting to the southeast in the afternoon, 3-5 mph gusting to 13 mph. In the afternoon there is a chance of thunderstorms that could produce higher winds. Temperatures will be 97-103F, humidity 12-16%. Extreme fire behavior is still possible based on fuel and weather conditions.
For the current smoke information and the air quality index, visit airnow.gov.
BURN BAN: A burn ban is currently in effect for all of Malheur County, including all BLM lands. For more information, visit https://www.malheurco.org/category/public-notices/.
TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTION: A temporary flight restriction is in place for the safety of the public and firefighting aviation resources. If you fly, we can’t; if a drone or other aircraft enters the air space, all firefighting aviation equipment will be grounded.
Cow Valley Fire Incident Website: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incide.../orvad-cow-valley-fire
Cow Valley Fire Phone Number: 541-208-4371 (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.)
Start date: July 11, 2024
Location: 9 miles east of Ironside, OR
Fire size: 133,408 acres
Containment: 20%
Total personnel: 329
Cause: Human caused, under investigation
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For the most up-to-date evacuation information, please visit the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office page on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069245917855
For additional information and updates on the Cow Valley Fire, visit https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562017027302
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Governor Kotek invokes Emergency Conflagration Act in response to Cow Valley Fire
Cow Valley Fire burning in Malheur County, northwest of Vale
Salem, OR — Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on the morning of July 12, 2024, in response to a wildfire in Malheur County: the Cow Valley Fire. The resources necessary for protecting life and property from the Cow Valley Fire are beyond local capabilities. Assistance with life, safety, and structural fire protection was requested by the Malheur County Fire Defense Board and the state fire marshal concurred with that request.
“Wildfire season is in full swing, with fires active across Oregon and concerning weather conditions for this upcoming weekend,” Governor Kotek said. “I am authorizing an emergency conflagration to allow additional resources to fight the Cow Valley Fire in Malheur County. The majority of our state’s wildfires are human-caused. I urge all Oregonians to take extreme precautions, particularly with lightning in the forecast for this weekend. It is incumbent on all of us to keep Oregon green and protect our communities.”
A link to Executive Order 24-12 can be found here.
Following ORS 476.510-476.610, Governor Kotek determined that a threat to life, safety, and property exists due to the fire, and the threat exceeds the firefighting capabilities of local firefighting personnel and equipment. The governor’s declaration cleared the way for the state fire marshal to mobilize resources through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System to support local fire service agencies on scene. This conflagration is declared only for the Cow Valley Fire threatening structures in Malheur County.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Incident Management Team was mobilized. Along with the federal partners, our rangeland fire protective associations and local responding agencies, two structural task forces were mobilized Thursday night through the agency’s Immediate Response tool. Two more task forces from Lane and Marion counties were mobilized. The Red Incident Management Team will be in unified command with Northwest Team 6, a federal complex incident management team.
For the latest on evacuations, please follow the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office.
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Here's the Friday morning release on the fire by the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office:
Cow Valley Fire in Malheur County declared a conflagration, OSFM sending additional resources
Oregon State Fire Marshal - 07/12/24 10:12 AM
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon State Fire Marshal is mobilizing several task forces and its Red Incident Management Team to the Cow Valley Fire in Malheur County to protect people and property. Overnight Thursday, the agency sent two task forces from Umatilla and Multnomah counties through Immediate Response. These task forces will be joined by two others from Lane and Marion counties.
“The weather conditions we are seeing across Oregon are extremely concerning. The forecast over the weekend for much of Eastern Oregon will not be doing us any favors,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “The state has seen numerous human-caused wildfires over the last few weeks, and I am asking everyone to be careful and aware of the extreme fire conditions, especially with lightning in the forecast.”
According to the Vale Bureau of Land Management District, the fire is being pushed by gusty winds, triple-digit temperatures, and low humidity, causing substantial fire growth in the last 12 hours. An infrared flight is happening this morning to get an accurate size of the fire. That information will be shared once it is available. Weather for this fire is expected to be challenging over the next few days with a Fire Weather Watch in place by the National Weather Service for abundant lightning and wind this weekend.
The OSFM’s Red Incident Management Team will be in unified command with Northwest Team 6, a federal complex incident management team.
Malheur County Emergency Management and the Red Cross have a shelter in Girvin Hall at the Malheur County Fairgrounds. Those who have questions about the shelter should call 208-519-6675.
Evacuation notices will be issued by the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office. A Facebook page is set up to share Cow Valley Fire information.
On Friday morning, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the fire which allows the state fire marshal to mobilize state resources to protect life and property.
Following ORS 476.510-476.610, Governor Kotek determined that threats to life, safety, and property exist because of the fire, and the threats exceed the capabilities of local firefighting personnel and equipment.
ODOT shared photos on TripCheck of the Cow Valley Fire on its TripCheck page and said the highway was expected to remain closed through the night. Crews will assess the situation and provide an update in the morning.
KTVB in Boise reported 30-50 homes in Brogan are threatened, and power needed to be shut off to some due to the fire’s proximity to power lines.
The Malheur County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook the Cow Valley Fire had changed direction and was growing quickly to the east, toward the town of Brogan, population of about 90. It was burning on both sides of the highway.
It was one of three large new blazes in the area, according to Watch Duty, the others being the day-old, 4,504-acre Huntington Mutual Aid Fire in Baker County, prompting evacuations and alerts in the Huntington area and Farewell Bend State Park, and the 1,867-acre Bonita Road Fire, also in Malheur County, reported early Thursday morning.
