Single Publication

Smoke May Be Visible Near Merrill Springs, No Threat to Fireline

Acres: 20,019 acres | Start Date: July 21st, 2024 | Cause: Lightning | Fuels: Timber, grass, brush

Containment: 83% |Resources: 376

MONUMENT, Ore. – Firefighters are working around the clock to secure the fire; they are extinguishing and removing burning material near the control lines on the upper east side of the Courtrock Fire and making good progress toward additional containment on the southern end. The initial attack group is ready to offer support if any new fires stand up. 
 

Overview – During the evening shift, a Type-1 helicopter was assisting firefighters with water drops on the upper east side of the fire’s perimeter, where crews are attacking hot spots within the fire’s interior. Be advised, smoke may be visible from the roads near Merrill Springs, however that is not an indicator of risk to the containment line. Materials are burning more than 500 feet internally from the fireline. Firefighters and several engines assigned to the southern end of the fire were creating more depth on the line and the surrounding communities can expect additional containment. Resources are still supporting the following fires:

• Bennett Fire, a 400-acre fire, northwest of Antelope in Wasco County, is 100 % contained, resources returned. 
• Indian Hollow and Wildhorse fires, now a part of the Parrish Creek Complex, work is still being done on this combined 200-acre fire south of Spray, near Steamboat Mountain, in Wheeler County.
• Service Creek Fire, an approximately five-acre fire southwest of the Lone Rock Fire, south of the John Day River, in Wheeler County; work is still being done.
   

Weather– Patchy smoke today and mostly cloudy, with a high near 88 degrees. Calm wind becoming east-northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Later today there is a chance of thunderstorms. Tonight will be a low around 59. North wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. The chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Evacuations– No level 3 (go now) evacuations are in effect. 

• For Grant County evacuation information, visit Grant County Emergency Management Office’s Facebook page, or sign up for the Grant County Emergency Alert System 
• For Morrow County evacuation information, visit the link below.  

Closures:

• The U.S. Forest Service has issued closures for the Malheur National Forest. For Malheur National Forest closures information, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/news/malheur/news-events