Vale Bureau of Land Management and partners
working to contain the Willow Creek Fire
By Braden Way on Wednesday, June 29th, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
(Press Release from BLM as of Tuesday, June 28th)
VALE, OR — Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and local firefighting forces have been working to contain the Willow Creek Fire since early this evening[Tuesday].
At 8:45 p.m., the fire was estimated at 15,000 acres with zero containment. The fire was reported on private land about 4:15 p.m. MT and crossed onto lands managed by Vale BLM about 7:30 p.m. It is burning northeast of Vale in grass and sagebrush rangelands. No structures are threatened and no evacuations have been ordered.
Nine Vale BLM engines were engaged, along with two engines from the Payette National Forest, two engines each from Burns and Boise (Idaho) BLM, ground resources from Vale Rangeland Fire Protection Association and Vale Rural Fire Department, two water tenders and two dozers. Multiple aircraft, including Air Attack, Single Engine Air Tankers and Large Air Tankers were assisting resources on the ground.
Additional ground and aviation resources from across southeast Oregon and southwest Idaho were en route. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Oregon State Fire Marshal.
Oregon Department of Transportation closed Interstate 84 from Ontario to Baker City due to smoke about 7:30 p.m.
At 8 p.m., the fire was estimated at 15,000 acres with zero containment.
