The Falls Fire is estimated at 64,225 acres with 0 percent containment. The fire is burning approximately 13.5 miles north of Burns.
As of 8:30 p.m. yesterday, the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s (OSFM) Blue Team and Northwest Incident Management Team 8 took unified command of the Falls Fire. This allows wildland and structural fire resources to work together while focusing on their different missions.
Yesterday, there was significant fire growth along the northeast and northwest corners of the fire. Firefighters continued to hold the western edge of the fire along FSR 43. Spot fires over the 43 road from the night before were lined and firefighters put in hose lays to begin mopping up the area. On the fire’s southern perimeter, firefighters continued to hold the fire on the southwest corner and worked to establish control lines to tie into the Silvies River area to the east. Two OSFM structure task forces worked on the fire throughout the night. Firefighters continued to scout for opportunities to establish additional control lines.
Aerial resources, including two helicopters, six single-engine air tankers (SEATs), two large air tankers (LATs), and two very large air tankers (VLATs) helped to slow the fires growth and supported firefighters as they made progress securing containment lines.
Today, similar fire behavior as yesterday is expected. Firefighters will work to hold the fire along established control lines and continue to scout for future control lines. By the end of shift today, there will be four OSFM task forces supporting the Falls Fire.
The incident command team continues to increase the number of resources working on the fire and to build greater capacity for fire suppression efforts. There are 646 personnel on the fire; this includes 17 20-person hand crews, 42 fire engines, 13 bulldozers, and 15 water tenders.
The predicted weather is for clearer skies and drier conditions. Winds will be from the west-southwest at 6-12 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. High temperatures will be near 90 degrees with humidity around 15-20%. Winds will prevail from the west and southwest from 8-10 mph. Little to no precipitation is expected for the fire area.
Evacuation notices remain in effect in Grant and Harney Counties. For the most accurate evacuation information, please visit the Harney County Sheriff’s evacuation map here: https://tinyurl.com/3zst4sjy, or the Grant County Emergency Management Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068819321423.
The Malheur National Forest issued an updated fire area closure yesterday, July 13. Emigrant Creek Campground, Falls Campground, Yellowjacket Campground, and Delintment Lake Campground are closed. A detailed map and additional information about the fire area closure are available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/malheur/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1188914. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) remains in place over the fire area.
Fire Restrictions are in effect across Oregon; Know Before You Go, and use extreme caution while recreating in these hot and dry conditions.
