Single Publication

Big Horn Fire

1:30 PM, July 30, 2024 

Estimated size: 51,569 acres 

Containment: 92% 

Start Date/Time: 7/22/2024 at 1:07 PM 

Area of Origin: 7 miles SE of Bickleton, WA 

Cause: Undetermined  

Structures Damaged: 4 

Update: 

Today the incident will begin to transition efforts back to the local agencies. Line crews and equipment will begin to be released. Many of the resources will be re-assigned to support other fires in the area, while others are returning to their home units.  Southeast Washington IMT will remain onsite for the rest of the day and anticipate closing out and demobilization mid-day tomorrow.  End of shift today crews will have completed securing and checking containment lines. 

Today’s increase in acreage is due to better mapping flown by Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) from Sunday’s flights and utilization of satellite imagery in the area of Whitmore Road.  The fire perimeter remains unchanged.   

Evacuation Levels: All evacuations have been removed. 

Road Closures: All roads have been re-opened. 

Weather and Fire Behavior: West winds of 10 to 15 mph continuing through Tuesday evening.  A drying and warming trend will begin today, leading to a potential of triple digit heat by Thursday.  Some areas experienced light moisture yesterday, but not enough moisture to make a difference in the dry fuel conditions. 

Smoke: There are currently no air quality alerts for Klickitat County.  While active wildfires continue to burn throughout Washington and surrounding states, communities may see air quality worsen as wind conditions change. Critical fire weather continues across Central and Eastern Washington; please continue to recreate responsibly as any fire starts could spread quickly. For more information on smoke and air quality, please visit: Washington Smoke Information (wasmoke.blogspot.com)