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The Telephone Fire started on July 22, 2024, approximately 15 miles north of Burns, Oregon, in the King Mountain area on the Emigrant Creek Ranger District of the Malheur National Forest. The Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, and Oregon State Fire Marshal are working in partnership with fire managers. A full-suppression strategy is being used for the fire, while insuring to minimize risks to responders and the public. The fire was human-caused and remains under investigation.
Initial attack resources attempted direct tactics early on but were challenged by the terrain and accessibility to the eastern side of the fire. Full suppression efforts are being implemented utilizing a combination of direct, indirect, and point protection where the highest probability of success can be safely achieved. Firefighters continue to establish firelines and hose lays, working in conjunction with aerial resources.
Due to active wildfires compounded by extremely unfavorable weather conditions, limited firefighting resources and county resources, on July 22, 2024 the Malheur National Forest temporarily closed lands within the forest. The closure means that the public is prohibited from entering lands, roads, trails and recreation areas and facilities on the Malheur National Forest. The objective of the closure is to protect public and firefighter safety as the incident management team continues to battle the Falls and Telephone Fires and as local resources continue to respond to new smoke reports.
For information on the Malheur National Forest, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/malheur.
| Current as of | Wed, 07/24/2024 - 16:11 |
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| Incident Time Zone | America/Vancouver |
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Date of Origin | |
| Location | 16 miles north east of Burns, Oregon |
| Incident Commander | Kevin Stock - NWIMT8 |
| Coordinates |
43° 45' 28'' Latitude
-118° 51' 42
'' Longitude
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| Size | 9,000 Acres |
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| Percent of Perimeter Contained | 0% |
| Estimated Containment Date | 08/30/2024 |
| Fuels Involved | Timber (Grass and Understory) Tall Grass (2.5 feet) Timber (Litter and Understory) Dead fuel moistures were in the single digits and live fuel moistures were between 70 and 90 percent across the local area. The 1000-hour fuels were spot receptive and burning easily. Dense fuel loading (including significant ladder fuels) beneath closed canopy mixed conifer contributed to single and group -tree torching. |
| Significant Events | Extreme Short Crown Runs Short-range Spotting Long-range Spotting Fire behavior included short uphill, and up-canyon runs that were associated with both short and long range spotting. Single tree and group tree torching were observed. Plume dominated fire behavior was followed by column collapse, wind shifts and outflow winds. |
| Planned Actions |
Scout opportunities for direct line construction where fire behavior allows resources to operate. Evaluate indirect control lines using existing control features (e.g. roads, meadows, etc.) Utilize firing operations to keep fire west of the 28 road. Coordinate with RFPA's (Rural Fire Protective Associations) on line construction and any firing operations on private land to reduce acreage burned and prevent fire from reaching highly valuable resources to the south (e.g. homes, infrastructure, powerlines, and HWY 20). |
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| Projected Incident Activity |
12 Hours: Expect fire to remain active late into the evening, predominately in an east-northeast direction. 24 Hours: A cold frontal passage is expected to bring thunderstorms (wet and/or dry), gusty West winds greater than 30 mph, and outflow winds from these thunderstorms which could reach 50 mph or more. Fire is expected to spread toward private land, structures, cultural sites, and Hwy 20. Short-range spotting is expected where wind, slope directions align. 48 Hours: West-northwest winds are likely to spread fire toward the Southeast. Relative humidities will be lower than the previous day and temperatures will reach the 80s. Rates of spread and flame lengths are both expected to be lower than previous day. 72 Hours: On Friday, the wind speed will be reduced from Thursday and temperatures will reach into the 80s. Relative humidity will be lower than Thursday. Fire rate of spread and flame lengths will be lower on Thursday. Anticipated after 72 Hours: Temperatures are expected to stay in the 80s, RH values in the teens, and moderate speed West-northwest winds are expected. Fire is expected to spread toward the Southeast if unchecked. |
| Remarks |
Resources from Burns Interagency Fire Zone and the Falls Fire will support initial attack efforts. |
| Weather Concerns | Warm once again as high temperatures rose near 90 degrees F and humidity dropped to near 15%. Nearby observations show wind generally from the west with gusts near 19 mph. Northwesterly winds in the morning brought smoke down from the fires to the north which created shading during the day. Northwesterly winds in the morning brought smoke down from the fires to the north which created shading during the day. Northwesterly winds return tonight which likely will bring smoke once again. Wednesday will be a much more active weather day as a dry cold front will move over the area. There are increasing chances for thunderstorms (wet and dry), gusty winds greater than 30 mph, and outflow winds from these thunderstorms, which could reach 50 mph or more. Once the west winds come to an end the front exits the area, northwesterly winds will return which could be breezy for the early portion of the night. Temperatures will greatly depend on smoke and cloud clearing, as well as the pace of the storms exiting the region. Thursday will be cooler than the previous several days. |
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