Falls Fire 13 miles north of Burns grows quickly to over 64,000 acres, still 0%contained; 2 more state task forces called
(Update: Monday update; fire estimated at 64,225 acres)
BURNS, Ore. (KTVZ) – The 5-day-old Falls Fire burning in Harney and Grant counties 13.5 miles north of Burns has grown quickly to over 64,000 acres by Monday, still with zero containment and evacuations issued in both counties.
The evacuations are a mix of Level 3 (GO NOW), Level 2 (BE SET), Level 1 (BE READY). A wider fire area closure includes several Forest Service roads and campgrounds.
Visit the fire's Facebook page for the latest information)
Monday morning fire update:
The Falls Fire is estimated at 64,225 acres, with 0% containment. The fire is burning approximately 13.5 miles north of Burns.
As of 8:30 p.m. yesterday, Oregon State Fire Marshal’s (OSFM) Blue Team and Northwest Incident Management Team 8 have joined into unified command for the Falls Fire. This collaboration allows for wildland and structural fire resources to work together under a unified direction while focusing on their different missions.
Yesterday, the significant fire growth was along the northeast and northwest corners of the fire. Firefighters continued to hold the western edge of the fire along FSR 43. Spot fires over the 43 road from the night before were lined and firefighters put in hose lays to begin mopping up the area.
On the southern perimeter of the fire, firefighters continued to hold the fire on the southwest corner and worked to establish control lines to tie into the Silvies River area to the east. Two OSFM Structure Task Forces worked on the fire throughout the night. Firefighters continued to scout for opportunities to establish additional control lines.
Aerial resources, including two helicopters, six single-engine air tankers (SEATs), two large air tankers (LATs), and two very large air tankers (VLATs) helped to slow the fires growth, and supported firefighters as they made progress securing containment lines.
Today, similar fire behavior as yesterday is expected. Firefighters will work to hold the fire along established control lines and continue to scout for future control lines. By the end of shift today, there will be four OSFM Task Forces supporting the Falls Fire.
The incident command team continues to increase the number of resources working on the fire and to build greater capacity for fire suppression efforts. Currently there are 646 personnel on the fire; this includes 17 20-person hand crews, 42 fire engines, 13 bulldozers, and 15 water tenders.
Predicted weather is for clearer skies and drier conditions. Winds will be from the west-southwest at 6-12 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. High temperatures will be near 90 degrees with humidity around 15-20%. Winds will prevail from the west and southwest from 8-10 mph. Little to no precipitation is expected for the fire area.
Evacuation notices remain in effect in Grant and Harney Counties. For the most accurate evacuation information, please visit the Harney County Sheriff’s evacuation map here: https://tinyurl.com/3zst4sjy, or the Grant County Emergency Management Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068819321423.
The Malheur National Forest issued an updated fire area closure yesterday, July 13. Emigrant Creek Campground, Falls Campground, Yellowjacket Campground, and Delintment Lake Campground are closed. A detailed map and additional information about the fire area closure are available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/malheur/news-events/.... A temporary flight restriction (TFR) remains in place over the fire area.
Fire Restrictions are in effect across Oregon; Know Before You Go, and use extreme caution while recreating in these hot and dry conditions. #OnlyYouCanPreventWildfires
U.S. Forest Service-Malheur National Forest
Burns Interragency Fire Zone
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Sunday notice from Grant County Emergency Management:
The American Red Cross is operating a shelter for evacuees from the Falls Fire. The shelter is located at the Grant County Fairgrounds, Trowbridge Pavilion, in John Day. There is a limited number of animals from evacuated locations that can be accommodated there as well.
The Harney and Grant County evacuation areas map can be found here.
To view a GIS version of the evacuation map: https://harneycounty.maps.arcgis.com/.../index.html...
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Forest Service news release:
JOHN DAY and HINES, Ore. - The Malheur National Forest has issued a new area closure for the Falls Fire. To protect public health and safety, fire managers have closed the area around the fire due to fire activity and fire suppression operations. This updated closure will be effective July 14, 2024, through December 31, 2024, unless rescinded sooner.
Closure Area Description:
· Starting at the junction of Highway 395 and the Malheur National Forest boundary, going east and north along the forest boundary to the intersection with Forest Road 15.
· Heading north on Forest Road 15 to the junction with Forest Road 16.
· Forest Road 16 west to the junction of Highway 395.
· North on Highway 395 to the junction of Grant County Road 63 (Izee Highway).
· Grant County Road 63 southwest to the Malheur National Forest Boundary following the forest boundary around the southern portion of the Emigrant Creek Ranger District to the intersection of Highway 395 and Malheur National Forest Boundary.
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OSFM sending firefighters, incident management team to Falls Fire in Harney County
Oregon State Fire Marshal - 07/14/24 12:38 PM
SALEM, Ore. - The Oregon State Fire Marshal is sending its Blue Incident Management Team and four task forces to the Falls Fire burning 20 miles northeast of Riley in Harney County.
Hot, dry, and windy conditions caused the fire to grow rapidly on Saturday, pushing it to 55,000 acres with zero percent containment.
“Within the last week, we mobilized three incident management teams to fires across Oregon. This highlights the substantial fire danger we are seeing,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “With dry lightning expected to hit east of the Cascades on Sunday, I can’t stress enough the importance of taking action to prevent sparking another wildfire.”
The Grant and Harney County sheriffs' offices have evacuation orders in place. A map of Harney County evacuations can be found here. Grant County evacuations can be found here.
A Red Flag Warning remains in effect for Sunday with temperatures in the mid-90s and very low relative humidity. Afternoon thunderstorms are predicted for the area that may produce gusty outflow winds reaching 20-25 mph. Little to no precipitation is expected from these isolated thunderstorms.
For fire information, please follow the Falls Fire Facebook Page or the Falls Fire InciWeb page.
