Ukiah, OR- Firefighters responded to the North Fork John Day River area for a report of a fire on June 14th. The Bone Canyon Fire is located 12 miles southwest of Ukiah. There are no evacuations, and no structures are threatened at this time. The fire is burning on steep slopes and rugged terrain in grass, brush, and timber. Fire managers estimate the fire to be 99 acres in size. The cause of the fire is lightning that passed through the area on June 13th. Lightning detection resources indicated one strike in the immediate area of the fire.
The terrain and strong, gusty winds associated with the passing cold front, hampered efforts by firefighters on the ground. Yesterday, four Single-Engine Airtankers (SEATs), one Type 3 helicopter, two Type 2 helicopters, and one air attack aircraft assisted ground resources with the fire. The SEATs and Type 3 helicopter are funded by Oregon’s legislature this year to support suppression of wildfires and limit impacts including private property damage, water quality, soil health, other natural resource concerns, and air quality issues for Oregon’s public.
Additional resources are responding today to assist Pendleton ODF firefighters. These include: two Interagency Hotshot crews, two Oregon Department of Corrections crews, one Oregon Youth Authority crew, one Umatilla National Forest crew, two Oregon Youth Authority engines, and one ODF engine. This will be the only update on this fire unless conditions change.
ODF’s Northeast Oregon District is in Fire Season. Restrictions can be found at http://bmidc.org/restrictions.shtml. Fire conditions are MODERATE throughout the region. Please use caution to help prevent forest fires. Fuel conditions in many areas are ripe for active fire behavior and fire growth.
Contact the Oregon Department of Forestry-Northeast Oregon Fire Prevention Information Line for more information on ODF’s Public Use Restrictions: (541) 975-3027
To report a fire, contact: Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch (541) 963-7171 Or, call 9-1-1.