Size: 61,433 acres Location: South fork of the John Day River near Martin Creek
County: Grant, Crook Start Date: Sep. 2, 2024 Containment: 0% Cause: Lightning
Total Personnel: 100
Dayville, Oregon — The Rail Ridge Fire is located on the South Fork of the John Day River near
Martin Creek. The fire jumped the river yesterday and moved into the Murderers Creek drainage,
where it continued to increase in size. Evacuations for all of Aldrich Mountain Proper were
enacted.
Several lightning caused fires combined to become the Rail Ridge Fire. Wildfires designated as
778 Fire, 761 (Rail Ridge) Fire, 779 (Powell) Fire, and 796 (Black Canyon) Fire are now being
managed as one wildfire response. Full suppression strategy will be used where possible and
with firefighter and public safety in mind. The Southern Area Gray Incident Management Team,
led by Incident Commander Mitch Ketron assumed command of the fire on Tuesday, September
3, at 1:00 PM (PST).
Along with firefighter safety, public safety is very important in managing this fire. If a resident is
not already signed up for evacuation alerts, they can contact their local county Sheriff’s Office.
Yesterday’s Activities – After a lightning storm moved through the area on Monday Sep. 2,
causing multiple starts, local resources quickly responded. This includes multiple federal, state,
and Rural Fire Protection resources. Wind associated with the storm system caused the fire to
spread quickly though the dry brush and grass.
Today’s Activities – Firefighters strengthened structure protection along perimeter of the fire
and utilized natural barriers, existing roadways, and established fuel breaks to begin securing
the perimeter of the fire. Conditions were very smoky, but some air operations were still
possible. A flight of the fire’s perimeter was done to find the current acreage. Fire in many of the
grassy areas went out as it hit existing barriers. Areas with thicker brush and timber continue to
show fire activity.
Weather –
Weather predictions for the next several days are calling for a warming and drying trend which
means that fuels will continue to dry out, further increasing the likelihood of new ignitions and
active fire behavior.
Evacuations –
Evacuation zones update for the Rail Ridge Fire – Grant County:
A Level 3, “Go Now” alert has been extended south of Murders Creek to Cougar Creek
Gulch and East to Shake Table.
A Level 2, “Be Set” alert has been issued for the area south of Wickiup Creek in the
North, to Fields Creek in the East, to Murders Creek in the South, west to Shake Table.
A Level 1, “Be Ready” has been extended North to Hwy 26 and East to Fields Creek and
South to Wickiup Creek.
For regular updates, visit the Grant County Emergency Management Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/p/Grant-County-Emergency-Management-100068819321423/;
call the information line at 541-575-2885; or email the Emergency Operations Center at
[email protected].
Closures:
The Malheur National Forest has enacted a closure order for sections of the Blue Mountain
Ranger District for public safety.
Visit the Oregon Department of Emergency Management website to view a map of active fires
(and evacuation areas) at https://oregon-oem-geo.hub.arcgis.com/.
Fire Restrictions –
All public lands in Central Oregon, including the Ochoco National Forest, are in Stage 2
Public Use (Fire) Restrictions. All open fires, including woodstoves and charcoal
briquette fires, are prohibited.
Malheur National Forest Fire Restrictions can be viewed on the Forest’s website.
For more information visit CentralOregonFire.org or the Ochoco National Forest’s website.
Smoke from the Rail Ridge Fire continues, and maps and air quality information are always
available on https://fire.airnow.gov/. Please help firefighters by following all local regulations,
found here: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/restrictions.aspx. Additional wildfire
prevention tips are available at www.keeporegongreen.org.
If you fly, we can’t. Unauthorized drone flights (UAS) pose serious risks to firefighter and public
safety and the effectiveness of wildfire suppression operations. Aerial firefighting is suspended
when unauthorized UAS are in the area, allowing wildfires to grow larger.
Fire officials urge everyone to do their part to avoid human-caused wildfires. Human-caused fires
are avoidable whereas naturally occurring fires are not. Remember, one less spark means one
less fire that could put our wildland firefighters and communities at risk.
