Battle Mountain Complex now 90% contained

Ukiah, ORE. – Updated at 9:00 a.m.: The Battle Mountain Complex is 182,951 acres and 90% contained.

The Battle Mountain Complex started as a series of lightning fires on Wednesday, July 17th, 2024, near Ukiah, Oregon. The complex total is 182,951 acres with 90% containment. Below is a list of up to date information on all complex fires, as of Thursday, August 15th at 9:00 a.m.

Acres - NF Owen Fire: 4,484

Containment - NF Owen Fire: 90%

Acres - Monkey Creek Fire: 178,467

Containment - Monkey Creek Fire: 90%

Level 2 (BE SET!) Evacuations - Morrow & Umatilla County:

-UMC-323

-www.arcgis.com/apps/PublicInformation/index.html?appid=f8a0d8814a67445a9e6bf3485f4fd24f

Level 1 (GET READY) Evacuations - Morrow & Umatilla County:

-UMC-307 & UMC-311

- www.arcgis.com/apps/PublicInformation/index.html?appid=f8a0d8814a67445a9e6bf3485f4fd24f

Evacuation Note: There are also evacuations in place for Grant County, technically out of the Apple Valley News Now viewing area. You can find an interactive map of those evacuations here .

Closures:

-Both the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service have either rescinded or reduced closure orders for public lands. Visit https://linktr.ee/battlemntcomplex2024 for more information.

-Road closures and fire restrictions: https://linktr.ee/battlemntcomplex2024

Firefighting Cost: The estimated cost of this firefight is already up to $68 million.

Firefighting Efforts: The potential for two rounds of thunderstorms today in both the early morning and afternoon have firefighters watching the weather closely. These thunderstorms can create gusty outflow winds and cause fire-weakened trees to fall. If the thunderstorms are dry, lightning could start new fires in the area. A group of engines and crews are ready to aggressively respond to any new fires.

Yesterday the northern portion of the fire that has continually flared up, smoked and smoldered produced little smoke. The same drainages that have been holding heat including Swale, Ditch and Potamus creek were watched closely, and any heat detected was extinguished by engines and crews. Across the northern fire line, fire managers worked to solidify their suppression repair plans and remove any unneeded equipment and supplies from private lands.

Suppression repair work is now complete near Dale. This work will be inspected before it is approved. An excavator is working down the fireline on the western side pulling in brush. The rest of the southern half of the fire is still getting repaired or waiting for local government agency inspection. Firefighters will check the North Fork Owens fire today for repair work needs.

The public can expect to see more firefighters and equipment parked along roadways. With heavy equipment coming off the fire there may be increased traffic. Please pass with caution and be alert for large trucks on blind corners.

Firefighting Resources: There are 996 total personnel on this fire, including 22 crews, 26 engines, 24 water tenders, 17 dozers, and 2 helicopters.

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