Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
SPRAY, OR (JULY 19, 2024, 7:28 AM) - The Lonerock Fire continued to grow and remained unpredictable, as continually shifting winds hampered efforts to extinguish the blaze, which is now at 83,922 acres as of 7:28 AM on July 19. There have been reports of dozens of people evacuating in Wheeler County near Winlock and Kahler Basin - and many others who evacuated from Spray on Wednesday night. The good news is that the National Interagency Fire Center has increased containment... Full story
The Wheeler County Sheriff's Office issued a Level 3 "Go Now" Evacuation for Spray at 8:13 PM. However there has been some conflicting information coming in with sources at the scene reportedly being told to "Stay Ready" at Level 2. Fire activity has intensified on the southern end of the #lonerockfire due to increased winds and fire weather. Erratic winds are pushing the fire in a southerly direction, moving it closer to Spray, Oregon. Wheeler County Sheriffs Office has... Full story
SPRAY, OR - The Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office announced on Sunday, July 21, that they have created a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Spray. Oregon State Fire Marshal spokesman Steve Chapman said in a morning briefing that the operating base in Spray will allow for quicker response times. Chapman said that crews have been engaged in point-protection, which focuses preventative efforts on homes and structures and pushes the fire around structures. With erratic winds, the... Full story
Condon, Oregon - The Lone Rock Fire is being managed under a full suppression strategy by the unified command of the Northwest (NW) Team 2 and Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Red Team. Yesterday's Activities: An upper-level weather system moved over the fire late yesterday morning bringing high based showers and isolated thunderstorms. Cloud cover and smoke from area fires kept temperatures down with afternoon temperatures generally in the upper 80s. As a result of cooler... Full story
LONE ROCK FIRE UPDATE July 21, 2024 Location: Lonerock, Oregon to west of Hwy 207 | Size: 116,563 acres | Containment: 40% | Cause: Under Investigation | Start Date: July 13, 2024 | Total Personnel: 819 InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orprd-lone-rock-fire Fire Information Line: 541-208-4369 | Email: [email protected] Condon, Oregon - The Lone Rock Fire is being managed under a full suppression strategy by the unified command of the... Full story
FOSSIL, OR - Officials with the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office and the Pacific Northwest 2nd Team held a community meeting at the Fossil Grade School on Saturday evening. Fire officials shared some success stories, but also said that the conditions on the ground continue to be extremely challenging, as the Lonerock Fire surpassed 100,000 acres. The blaze is currently at its worst near Winlock Road, just outside of Spray. Crews are working to protect homes in that area and... Full story
SPRAY, OR (3:30 PM 07/19/24) - The Lonerock Fire has continued to push further south into Wheeler County on Friday afternoon, threatening ranches and homes near Winlock. Residents in the City of Spray received a Level 3 "Go Now" Evacuation Order from the Wheeler Co. Sheriff's Office just after 3:30 PM. Local residents are reporting that the fire is within 5 miles of town. The Lonerock Fire has now burned more than 84,000 acres and is at 40% containment. Firefighters are in... Full story
Condon, OR - The Lone Rock Fire is being managed under a full suppression strategy by the unified command of the Northwest (NW) Team 2 and Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Red Team. Yesterday's Activities: Significant fire behavior emerged yesterday afternoon, leading to notable fire growth to the south. The fire's southward growth into timber fuels increases the likelihood of crown fires and long-range spotting. In the northwest area of the fire, firefighters made progress... Full story
The Gilliam County Court will decide whether it should award grants in full or to partially fund requests from nonprofits and special districts at its meeting this Wednesday in Arlington. The Gilliam Co. Grants Committee has recommended significant cuts to requests from key service providers in the county. The Grants Committee recommended to partially fund operations grant requests from the South Gilliam Health District, Summit Springs Village, and the Condon Early Learning... Full story
“Once upon a time in Spain there was a little bull and his name was Ferdinand.” Ferdinand was unusual. Ferdinand grew big and strong. But Ferdinand preferred to smell flowers and contemplate Life under a cork tree instead of romping and fighting with other bulls. Ferdinand’s mother, a cow, worried about him; why didn’t he want to go to fight famous Matadors in Seville or Madrid? Butting heads is okay, I guess, Ferdinand thought, but being poked by horns isn’t much fun. Flow...
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced he secured critical investments in Oregon agriculture, rural housing, food assistance, rural business priorities, and veterans' services in the first set of fiscal year 2025 (FY25) government spending bills to pass the committee-a key first step on the road to becoming law. Merkley helped to make sure the investments-including nearly $15 million for seven...
Last week I wrote about the conundrum so many of us face when we ask ourselves the age old question “What’s for dinner?” What a strange irony it is that even with our incredible bounty of food, at five o’clock we still stroll into the kitchen and wonder what to eat for dinner. If I don’t know in the morning, that question will repeat itself throughout the day like a woodpecker that hammers on my shoulder. Eating dinner is more than just eating dinner. It’s the period at t...
John Reed Myers passed away peacefully on July 9, 2024, from complications due to gastric cancer. He was 71. He is survived by his sister, Lorraine Smith of Spray, his brother, Bruce Myers of Astoria, and his dog, Billie Howliday, as well as many close friends and relatives. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Remembrances in his honor may be made to either the Animal Rescue Foundation GoFundMe at gofund.me/e9b24264 or to KFSL radio in Fossil, Oregon, both charities he supported.... Full story
Days of Yore for July 18, 2024 10 years ago— In perhaps one of the most extensive investigations involving troopers of the Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division, a Bend area man was recently sentenced to multiple misdemeanor and felony charges related to illegal guiding and hunting activities in central Oregon. In total, 23 people have been charged for more than 200 counts filed in Wheeler County. In October of 2012, an OSP Fish & Wildlife trooper received an a...
Ken Wade Eddy, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, passed away peacefully on June 12, 2024, in Alpharetta, GA, surrounded by his loving family. He was 79 years old. Born on December 10, 1944, in Staten Island, NY, to Melvin and Alice Eddy, Ken spent his formative years in Toppenish, Washington, where he graduated from Toppenish High School in 1963. He went on to attend Yakima Valley Community College from 1963 to 1965 before joining the U.S. Navy. Ken... Full story
Gilliam County's plans to change economic development districts has been put on hold and will possibly not happen at all. Beginning in 2022, the Gilliam County Court worked to modify their economic development district, which was set at the state and federal level, to better serve the area. At the time, the Gilliam Court believed that the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) based out of The Dalles, would better represent the county and its efforts. MCEDD is a...
ODOT has announced that the new Rock Creek Bridge project has been pushed back until at least July 22. The announcement was made before the Lonerock Fire started and now, Highway 206 is a thoroughfare for firefighters. The new Rock Creek Bridge is expected to be a big project and will shut down the Condon-Heppner Highway for at least three weeks. In total, the project will take several months and will likely finish in mid to late November. Staging equipment has been brought...
Cooper Johnson, a 2020 graduate of Condon High School, has graduated from Oregon State University. Over the last 4 years, while attending college in Corvallis, he also participated in the Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). This spring, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force through the Flying Beavs ROTC program. He will report to his first...
LONEROCK, OR - A rapidly escalating grassland fire near the town of Lonerock, in Gilliam County, has necessitated significant emergency response efforts since its outbreak on Saturday, July 13. Initially spanning 4,200 acres, the Lonerock Fire surged to over 50,000 acres within a mere 24-hour period. In this short time, the Lonerock Fire became one of the largest uncontained fires on the West Coast. In response to the escalating threat, the Gilliam County Sheriff's Office...
