Eastern Oregon cattle ranchers scramble to get livestock to safety

Eastern Oregon wildfires are causing big problems for travelers along I-84, but also for ranchers who graze cattle on open range.

RELATED | Durkee Fire sears nearly 240,000 acres reaching Idaho border, I-84 closed

• Eastern Oregon wildfires are causing problems for travelers and ranchers.
• Haines Rodeo Grounds is now a safe zone for area ranchers.
• Ranchers say this summer is one for the record books.

( Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)

“I’ve never seen a July this hot” And that’s a big problem when a wildfire breaks out in cattle country. Kenny Bains is a rancher in Haines, Oregon and Bains is a member of the Haines Stampede Rodeo Association. Bains says because this community is always there for their neighbors, they’ve opened the fairgrounds as a safe zone for area ranchers.

“Most of our members are farmers and ranchers so we have a heart for that so anyway yes anytime we can help anybody with anything like that we’re open for it.”

Matt McElligott the President of the Oregon Cattleman’s Association agreed to meet us here even though he’s in the process of moving his herd away from flames that are coming from all directions.

“The six biggest are in Eastern Oregon over 600 thousand acres many of them were human caused.”

For a McElligott who’s been ranching his entire life, this is about as bad as his ever seen it,

“This is the worst I’ve seen, I was visiting with my Forest Service Ranger yesterday and he said it was like an apocalypse, there are fires everywhere popping up.”

And if it remains hot and dry it’s anybody’s guess when this will end.