Size: 61,433 acres Location: South Fork of the John Day River near Martin Creek
County: Grant, Crook, Wheeler Start Date: Sep. 2, 2024
Containment: 0% Cause: Lightning Total Personnel: 150
Dayville, Oregon — The Rail Ridge Fire started near the South Fork of the John Day River around Martin Creek and quickly moved into the Murderers Creek drainage. Evacuations for all of Aldrich Mountain remain in effect.
Several lightning-caused fires combined with 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. If a resident is not already signed up for evacuation alerts, they can contact their local county Sheriff’s Office.
Today’s Activities – Firefighting operations focused on aggressively building fire perimeter where safe for fire personnel. Natural barriers, existing roadways, and established fuel breaks continued to be utilized to stop or slow spread along the perimeter of the fire. Conditions remained too smoky for aircraft operations, but smoke shading and light winds provided opportunity to make progress in slowing fire spread and establishing control lines for upcoming operations
Continued operations tonight –
This afternoon and into the night, strategic burning operations will be utilized from control lines to remove unburned fuels between defensible barriers and the active fire front. Continued smoke and some fire may be visible from nearby communities tonight. On the north end, the focus will be stopping the fire from spreading into the Deep Creek drainage to keep the fire away from structures in this area. Along the west side of the Rail Ridge fire, firing operations will be used in the same way to connect lines that were built over the last few days. Crews will continue strategic structural point protection, as safe to do, so while continuing to stop the fire’s spread along these planned lines.
Weather – A warming and drying trend will continue to dry out fuels, further increasing the likelihood of new ignitions and active fire behavior. On Wednesday, the temperature will reach the high 80s, with humidity as low as 9%, and light easterly winds around 5 mph.
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].
Wheeler County:
- The Level 3, “Go Now” alert has been extended North along South Fork Rd to Smokey Creek on East and Johnson Creek in the West.
- The Level 2, “Be Set” alert has been expanded to include everything north of Smokey Creek and Johnson Creek to Hwy 26, to include the town of Dayville, East to Marks 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].
- Access the active GIS map: https://oregon-oem-geo.hub.arcgis.com/.
Closures:
The Malheur National Forest has enacted a closure order for sections of the Blue Mountain Ranger District for public safety.
Ochoco National Forrest has multiple closure orders in areas affected by this and other wildfires. Visit the Forest’s website at www.fs.usda.gov/ochoco to see current closures.
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.
