DURKEE FIRE UPDATES FOR JULY 24, 2024

By on Wednesday, July 24th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

Update: As of 3:02 MST The #DurkeeFire acreage has been updated to 268,492 acres

Update as of 4:00pm: Fire officials report that the Durkee Fire has crossed Burnt River Canyon Ln into Dark Canyon Rd and also crossed I-84 at milepost 345.

Update as of 8:16am: DURKEE FIRE: Start date: July 17, 2024 | Location: 5 miles southwest of Durkee, OR | Personnel:
526 | OSFM Task Forces: 4 | Fire size: 244,858 acres | Cause: Lightning | Containment: 0%
Today’s weather will lead to extreme fire behavior and growth. A Red Flag Warning has been issued
for severe thunderstorms and will be followed by a Flash Flood Watch. Thunderstorm wind gusts may
reach 75 mph and are expected to directly impact the Durkee Fire footprint. Burned areas are more
susceptible to landslides, mudslides, flash floods and debris flow. The amount of rainfall is not known
at this time, but 15/100 of an inch of precipitation in 15 minutes could be enough to cause debris
flows.
The Malheur County Sheriff’s Office and the Baker County Sheriff’s Office have issued evacuations
for multiple areas. Residents in Level 3 Evacuations “GO NOW”, should leave immediately. Residents
should not return to their property until evacuation levels have been removed. Carry enough supplies
to support you and your family for multiple days. A real time map of fire evacuations can be found at
the State of Oregon Fire Dashboard.
Weather and fire behavior could impact transportation, power transmission, cell service and other
utilities. Monitor these resources for additional information.

  • Oregon Department of Transportation – TripCheck.com
  • Idaho Power – IdahoPower.com
  • American Red Cross of Eastern Oregon and Idaho – https://www.redcross.org/local/idaho.html
    The Durkee Fire is located west of Interstate 84 (I-84). The Thompson Fire, a convergence of
    lightning fires that started near Thompson Creek on July 22, is located east of I-84. Both have grown
    rapidly with the persistent high temperatures, strong winds, and extremely dry fuels.
    Firefighters worked overnight to maintain primary and secondary firelines and to support structure
    protection. No strategic firing operations were initiated. Today, wildland firefighters are anticipating the
    extreme weather event. They will remain strategically placed around the fire area for when the
    extreme weather arrives and engage when safe to do so. Protecting life of the public and firefighters
    is the highest priority of the incident.
    Oregon State Fire Marshal task forces will work to support communities around the fire perimeter.
    Yesterday, air resources were limited due to poor visibility and high winds. Air resources are expected
    to be limited or grounded today due extreme weather.

WEATHER AND SMOKE:

For current smoke information, visit airfire.org.

EVACUATIONS AND CLOSURES:
The Malheur County Sheriff’s has issued evacuations for the area around Durkee Fire. check for
updates on the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. There is an American Red Cross
shelter in Ontario at the Malheur County Fairgrounds, 795 N.W. 9th Street.
The Baker County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuations for the area around Durkee Fire. Visit the
Baker County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page for more information. Baker County Sheriff’s Office has
closed Burnt River Canyon Road to non-local, non-emergency traffic due to the Durkee Fire.

I-84 AND OTHER HIGHWAYS: Please go to tripcheck.com for current road closures as the situation
is dynamic and subject to change.

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: There is a temporary flight restriction over the Durkee Fire,
please remember, if you fly we can’t! If a drone or other aircraft enters the air space, all firefighting
aviation equipment will be grounded.

RED FLAG WARNING

FLASH FLOOD WARNING

Thunderstorms with outflow winds as high as 75 mph

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Fire officials have released an Operational and Weather Update for today. That video can be viewed here

As of today, July 24 the Durkee Fire is reported at 244,842 acres and is 0% contained.

Total Resources: 526 personnel, 46 engines, 10 crews,13 water tenders, 8 dozers, and 1 helicopter

An interactive Fire Evacuation map can be found here.

Elkhorn Media Group