Firefighters reach 60% containment on Old Emigrant Fire east of Pendleton

PENDLETON — Firefighters are taking advantage of milder weather Thursday to reinforce containment lines on the Old Emigrant Fire, which remains held at an estimated 1,500 acres and is 60 percent contained.

A total of 167 personnel under the Northeast Oregon Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team are battling the blaze. Fire crews are building direct containment lines on the northeast, north, and northwest flanks, while mop-up operations have extended 10 feet inside the southern, southeastern, and eastern perimeters. Firefighters are also working inside Mission Creek to find and extinguish hot spots using natural timber features.

The fire has stayed within its existing footprint, allowing some local resources to be diverted to support initial attack efforts on the nearby Cable Creek Fire near Ukiah.

Public safety closures and evacuations remain in place. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Emergency Services has maintained Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuation notices for nearby areas. Additionally, the Oregon Department of Transportation has closed Highway 30 immediately adjacent to the blaze due to heavy fire traffic.

Officials issued a stern warning regarding aerial operations, noting that publicly operated drones recently forced a shutdown of fire suppression efforts. A 5-mile Temporary Flight Restriction is in place to protect aircraft, including helicopters and fire boss planes scooping water from nearby McKay Reservoir.

“If you fly, we can’t,” fire officials warned in a statement, urging the public to avoid aircraft activity areas on the water. Sunny skies and a high near 78 are forecast today, with shifting winds and low relative humidity levels between 10 percent and 20 percent.

Photo courtesy Oregon Department of Forestry – Northeastern Oregon District

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Elkhorn Media Group