Rail Ridge Fire is now 50% contained
By Logan Bagett on Thursday, September 19th, 2024 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News Eastern/Southeast Oregon Top Stories
DAYVILLE – Follow this page for continued updates on the Rail Ridge Fire.
UPDATE – (9/19) – From Rail Ridge Fire – Oregon 2024
Rail Ridge Fire Update September 19, 2024
Rail Ridge Quick Facts
| Acres: 162,345 | Crews: 29 |
| Containment: 50% | Engines: 64 |
| Detection Date: Sept 2, 2024 Cause: Lightning | Dozers: 17 |
| Total resources: 1,182 | Helicopters: 2 Type 1, 1 Type 2, 1 Type 3 |
Phone: 541-208-7111 Email: 2024.railridge@firenet.gov Facebook: Rail Ridge Fire – Oregon 2024
Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orocf-rail-ridge
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/RailRidgeFire
Closures and Evacuations
Closures: The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have implemented partial closures because of the Rail Ridge and Crazy Creek fires, for all uses. For more details and closure maps, visit the Ochoco National Forest, Malheur National Forest,and BLMweb pages.
Evacuations: Grant County evacuations were downgraded Wednesday. For up-to-date evacuation information, please visit:
- Grant County: Emergency Management Facebook page.
- Crook County: Emergency Management website; Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
- Wheeler County: Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
Operational Update
Today is the final day California Interagency Incident Management Team 10 will be in command of the Rail Ridge Fire. Alaska Incident Management Team 3 is shadowing today and will assume command tomorrow.
Firefighters on the north and northeast sides will take advantage of the continued favorable conditions and focus on strengthening existing suppression lines and completing new ones, including working on shaded fuel breaks and clearing fuels.
On the east side between Shake Table and Forest Service Road 21, crews will continue to work on road repair, grading roads, and repairing the impacts of suppression efforts where needed. On the southern and southeastern portions, crews will monitor and patrol for any heat sources and implement suppression repair.
Throughout the fire area, firefighters will continue mop up efforts, going deeper inside fire lines to eliminate residual heat as large logs and dead, downed trees continue to burn.
Weather
Seasonably warm and dry weather is forecast for the area with lower humidity (25-30%) and sunny skies. Wind will be generally light with gusts up to 15 mph on the ridge tops.
These conditions will allow heavy fuels to continue to burn which will result in slightly increased smoke production but there remains no threat to containment lines.riven with gusts up to 15 mph at elevation, with gusts up to 25 mph.
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Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley provided the video below of the Rail Ridge Fire, and what appears to be a “fire whirl”:
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FOLLOW THE STORY BELOW FOR GRANT COUNTY EVACUATION ZONE UPDATES:
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(Press Release from the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife)
The Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area is closed to all public access until further notice due to the Rail Ridge fire.
The Rail Ridge fire started in the south fork of the John Day River with several lightning strikes on Sept. 2. It has grown to more than 61,000 acres and is still growing. To date, the fire has burned large areas of the Murderers Creek flats and areas to the north. The fire continues to be a significant safety threat on all wildlife area lands at this time.
The Malheur National Forest has also closed large areas on the forest immediately next to the wildlife area. Updates on fire information can be found at Oregon Emergency Management Interactive Map.
