Fire given "mega-fire" status
Tina Conlee's house near Spray, with fire in the distance. Tina's sons Carson and Gavin worked to prepare their house for the ensuing fire by cutting down trees and putting a sprinkler on the roof. The boys, both of whom are still in high school, then went to help neighbors.
Marilyn Garcia makes a sign in Fossil thanking firefighters, following a community meeting at the Fossil Grade School on Saturday, July 20.
Becky Clark took this photo of her husband, Bryon, creating a fire line to protect their house outside of Spray.
Drone photo of vehicles at the Gilliam Co. Fairgrounds. Firefighters and support personnel doubled the population of Condon – with more than 800 people at the fairgrounds.
Some 130 people attended an information session with the Pacific Northwest 2 Team and Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office at the Fossil Grade School Gym on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
A fire official speaks about the unprecedented challenges, stating that fires of this magnitude are rare and their arrival in July instead of August or September is of serious concern.
Drone photo of the Gilliam Co. Fairgrounds. Firefighters from the elite Pacific Northwest 2 - Complex Incident Engagement Team arrived in Condon on Tuesday, July 16.
What began as a small fire on grassland just outside of Lonerock in Gilliam County has become one of the largest wildfires in Oregon's history.
The Lonerock Fire has now burned more than 130,000 acres of grassland, pastures, timber, and structures – carving a swath of destruction through Gilliam, Wheeler, and Morrow counties.
The fire has surpassed the Archie Creek Fire from 2020 and is Oregon's 20th largest wildfire.
As of press time, the Lonerock Fire has burned 131,407 acres. It is only 40% contained and much of Wheeler County remains under Level 3 Evacuation orders.
The town of Spray was given Level 3 Evacuation orders last Thursday and Highway 19 has been closed from Service Creek to Spray.
Evacuation centers supported by the Red Cross were established in Condon, Fossil, and Heppner.
The fire burned with fury through the Winlock and Kahler Basin area just north of Spray.
The US Forest Service and Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office dedicated more resources to the fire and assigned their top crews.
The Pacific Northwest Team 2 Complex Incident Management Team took over operations last Tuesday. The Complex team is the top tier of the US Forest Service firefighting response.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office also assigned the Red Team, a priority crew, to the fire. Using Oregon's new Conflagration Declaration from Governor Kotek, dozens of local municipalities were engaged to provide additional support.
Eleven task forces specializing in structure fires were engaged and worked around the clock to help landowners save homes and structures.
The central operating base was established in Condon, and hundreds of firefighters and support personnel filled the Gilliam County Fairgrounds.
Firefighters slept in tents in the fairgrounds and at Burns Park. The Hotel Condon and Condon Motel were also at capacity.
As more firefighters were assigned to the fire and conditions near Spray deteriorated, a forward operating base was established at the Spray Rodeo Arena.
Some 876 firefighters from around the country are currently fighting the blaze along with two planes and four helicopters that are being shared with other fires in the region.
Using a model known as point-protection, firefighters moved trees and debris away from homes and created channels for the fire to move around structures.
An overnight structure fire crew from Benton County helped to save several homes and properties in the Winlock and Kahler Basin area.
Dozens of local volunteers also worked around the clock to protect homes, barns, pastures, and livestock as fire crews ramped up personnel.
A group of local volunteers lit backfires and created fire lines with CATs and feller-buncher machines to create fire lines. Many local residents are crediting the local volunteers for saving their homes and livestock. Many also say that local volunteers helped to save the town of Spray.
Stories of heroism exhibited by locals have captured the appreciation of people in Wheeler and Gilliam counties.
After a week of high temperatures and shifting winds, firefighters finally caught a break on Sunday night.
Cooler overnight temperatures on Sunday and Monday nights gave firefighters an opportunity to flank the fire, and significant strides were made, according to incident commanders.
And with cooler temperatures in the forecast starting Thursday, there is hope that more containment will be made.
But with an abundance of dry grassland and timber, there is still ample cause for concern.
On Monday, additional Level 2 Evacuation orders were issued for Morrow County as the fire worked back into timber lands inside of the Umatilla National Forest.
The fire has also continued to burn hot and firefighters are using Highway 19, just south of Service Creek near Mule Shoe Campground, as a buffer. All efforts are being made to contain the fire and to prevent it from jumping the John Day River.
A Level 3 Evacuation notice remains in place for properties south of the John Day River, up to the ghost town of Richmond.
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