Oregon wildfire season intensifies with five fires now at ‘megafire’ status

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – Wildfire season continues to decimate parts of Eastern Oregon as the state adds one more fire to its list of “megafires” that sparked in July.

A megafire, according to the U.S. Interagency Fire Center , is a wildfire that reaches a size of at least 100,000 acres. Of the 121 fires currently burning in Oregon, the Durkee, Cow Valley, Falls, Lone Rock, and Monkey Creek fires have reached this status.

Durkee Fire

Location: Baker County
Size: 288,690 acres
Containment: 49%
Injuries: 3
Structures Destroyed: 23

Cow Valley Fire

Location: Malheur County
Size: 133,490 acres
Containment: 99%
Injuries: 1
Structures Destroyed: 7

Falls Fire

Location: Harney County
Size: 142,307 acres
Containment: 69%
Injuries: 11
Deaths: 1
Structures Destroyed: 28

Lone Rock

Location: Gilliam County
Size: 137,214 acres
Containment: 77%
Injuries: 7
Structures Destroyed: 12

Monkey Creek

Location: Morrow County
Size: 104,577 acres
Containment: 8%
Injuries: 4
Structures Destroyed: 9

The 2024 wildfire season so far has burned 1,142,727 acres in Oregon, according to the State of Oregon Fires and Hotspots Dashboard . This converts to 1,785 square miles of scorched land.

This total surpasses the size of the entire state of Rhode Island . The largest wildfire, the Durkee Fire in Baker County, surpassed the size of Multnomah County last week. It is currently the largest active wildfire in the U.S.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue our wildfire coverage.

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