Egypt and Stone Creek Fire updates as of July 22, 2026
By Mindy McKerrall on Wednesday, July 22nd, 2026 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News Eastern/Southeast Oregon Top Stories
HARNEY COUNTY (Released from the Malheur National Forest)-
Egypt Fire
Size: 4,692 acres Containment: 39% Personnel: 312
Reported: July 16, 2026
All efforts from the initial attack of the local agency firefighters and Rangeland Fire Protection Association along with current fire crews have led to the preparation for today’s predicted weather of strong, erratic, winds. Along the western to northern edge dozer and hand crews have connected and strengthened the perimeter lines while hand crews and saw teams have mopped up areas of heat 30 to 50 feet inside the perimeter of the fire with the goal of 100 feet by the end of shift and 150 feet over the next few days. The containment line on the 4130 Road and up the 41 Road has been protected further by fire crews cooling hotspots to 150 feet. Containment is anticipated to increase tomorrow.
Stone Creek Fire
Size: 91 Acres Containment: 50% Personnel: 61
Reported: July 15, 2026
Hose lines remain in place around the perimeter of the Stone Creek Fire and are being used to actively cool the fire’s edge. Crews continue mop-up operations and are patrolling containment lines to strengthen and secure the perimeter. Firefighters have made outstanding progress, achieving 50% containment along the eastern edge of the fire. Containment is expected to increase by 15% by the end of shift today.
Weather: Today the weather has a slight chance of rain with chances of thunderstorms developing in the late afternoon. There is a 25% chance of lightning. Temperatures will be in the upper 80’s to low 90’s with minimum relative humidities of 25-30%. There will be light and variable winds out the northwest this morning shifting to gusty and erratic winds expected near thunderstorms in the afternoon. A Red Flag Warning will be in effect from 11 AM to 11 PM today.
Closures and Safety: The FSR 41 Road Closure is in place. The public is asked to avoid the fire closure area for everyone’s safety and to facilitate firefighting efforts. There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the fire area. Unauthorized drone activity is prohibited under this TFR, as firefighting helicopters and aircraft cannot fly when drones are present.
Effective 12:01 a.m., Thursday, July 23, 2026, the North Zone (Blue Mountain and Prairie City Ranger Districts) and the South Zone (Emigrant Creek Ranger District) of the Malheur National Forest will implement Stage C of Public Use Restrictions (PURs) and Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) III. This change is due to increasing temperatures and drier fuels in the forest. Both Zones will also move to EXTREME fire danger.
NEWS RELEASE: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/malheur/newsroom/releases/malheur-national-forest-national-forest-enters-stage-c-public-use
For more information and questions about the fires, please see:
Smoke: For information regarding smoke and air quality, check AirNow Fire and Smoke Map.
Facebook: 2026 Egypt and Stone Creek Fires https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592277084076
Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ormaf-egypt-fire
Email: 2026.egypt@firenet.gov
