Update on Four NE Oregon Wildfires

Oregon fire officials have released another update on four blazes that are being battled in Northeast and North Central Oregon.  The areas borded in bright red are the boundaries, everything inside is a fire zone.

  Four Fires Have Consumed at Least 6,900 Acres and Growing

Officials on Facebook and other social media are updating the public about progress with the four blazes.

Using an incident command post in Walla Walla, Officials continue to direct firefighting efforts on the following blazes.

The Hagen Fire,  which has burned to within 9 miles southwest of Tollgate, is the biggest, having consumed 5,685 acres. It grew overnight Monday into Tuesday, and it created what are called spot fires. These forced smoke jumpers, who were working a nearby blaze, to evacuate.

 The Nine Mile Fire, which is four miles from Tollgate, is smaller, having consumed 19 acres, it has shown very little activity in the last 24 hours.

  The Horse Ridge Fire, near Meacham, is at 611 acres burned, and only grew slightly overnight.  Crews are successfully pushing it back, it’s considered ten percent contained.

And, the Paradise Fire, which is 10 miles southeast of Walla Walla, has consumed about 519 acres, is showing moderate activity. Crews are effectively removing brush and other flammable fuels to help keep it at a slow pace.

   Heavy Smoke has Limited Air Support

While heavy smoke shaded fire areas and slowed their growth, it also prevented most aerial operations. One helicopter flew reconnaisance in the region, and found conditions were unsafe for close to ground water drops. Officials are hoping for more clearing.

More information will be updated from the Incident Center daily.