Incident Information:
Phone Number: 541-800-1280 (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.)
Phone (Media Inquiries): 541-981-6087
Inciweb: inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orprd-rowe-creek-complex
Facebook: facebook.com/rowecreekcomplex
Email: 2026.RoweCreekComplex@firenet.gov
FIRE AT A GLANCE
Rowe Creek Complex Total:
Estimated Size: 372,971
Location: 10 miles south of Fossil, Oregon
Containment: 83% acres
Cause: Lightning
Resources:
Total Complex Personnel: 1,660
Evacuations:
Evacuations are determined by Crook and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Offices.
Road Closures:
For road closures, visit: https://www.tripcheck.com.
Incident Commanders:
Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 2/Oregon State Fire Marshal Red Team
Highlights: Containment lines held through the night, but the fire remains very active in areas. Many miles of containment line remain uncontrolled and the potential for spread remains.
Operations: Monday, firefighters worked to contain spot fires and slop-overs on the south side of the Ochoco Ranger Station Road. These trouble spots had been lined in by dozer line and hose-lay with sprinklers. North of the road, fire expanded to the northeast, constrained by the road on the south and Mark’s Creek Fire scar on the north. Dozer line has been completed around that part of the fire as well. Firefighters continued preparing Forest Service Road (FSR) 2610 and FSR 2670 for containment lines to tie this section of the fire back in with US 26. If needed and conditions permit, crews may burn along FSR 2610 to provide a containment line of greater depth. Preparations on Wolf Creek Road continued strengthening it as a contingency line if needed. More work was performed to defend structures farther to the south.
Work continued holding lines in the Mill Creek and Salmon Creek vicinity. East of Mill Creek community, fire is still backing down the slopes. Retardant and water drops have been deployed to slow the fire, which will be directly engaged when on defendable ground. Structure protection is in place. Hose lays have been completed along critical sections of the lines around Mill Creek. Contingency lines are being prepared to block the fire’s advance both south and west of that part of fireline.
The crews in the vicinity of Cherry Creek and Tompkins Pass were able to hold the lines as backing fire reached the roads. Mop-up operations are underway. An infrared (IR) drone flight helped identify hot spots in the vicinity. Hose lays have been installed along those lines as an extra safety measure. Buttoning up this area will free resources for use in other areas of the fire.
Firefighters worked overnight in neighborhoods and around structures along Marks Creek and Ochoco Creek Road, holding fire away from homes and strengthening structure protection efforts. Today, three task forces and one strike team—each consisting of five apparatus, operational leadership and agency oversight—will continue working in these areas. Crews are mopping up around structures, extinguishing remaining heat and reinforcing protection measures with sprinkler kits and hose lays. These efforts are intended to reduce the potential for fire to threaten structures and strengthen existing control lines.
Today, one focus of firefighting efforts is additional mop-up along the US 26 corridor with an objective of reopening the entire highway to the public when deemed safe to do so. Further objectives will be to keep the fire within established control lines while scouting and preparing contingency lines. When safe and appropriate, vegetation removal, chipping, and strategic firing operations will all be employed in this effort. Surge groups are staged and will respond quickly to areas of need.
Public Meeting: A public meeting is planned for 6:00 p.m. Thursday at Barnes Butte Elementary School, 1875 NE Ironhorse Drive, Prineville. Members of the unified team will present information and be available to answer questions from the public. For those who are unable to attend in person, the meeting will be livestreamed on Facebook at facebook.com/rowecreekcomplex.
Notice: Evacuation statuses, closures (road, lands, airspace, etc.), weather, restrictions and air quality can all change quickly. It is important to pay attention to public service announcements which may come out as phone alerts, radio and TV announcements, and web sites. Many emergency management agencies (such as counties and utilities) offer sign-ups to ensure you are notified of hazardous situations in your community.
Evacuations: For county evacuation maps, check Crook County: https://protect.genasys.com/, Jefferson County:https://tinyurl.com/bdz88ufn, Wasco County: https://perimetermap.com/wascocounty-or and Wheeler County: https://arg.is/1aDrHm4. A Red Cross shelter is being operated at the East Side Church, 3174 NE Third Street, Prineville.
Weather: Today will be slightly cooler than Sunday, with slight improvement in relative humidity. The forecast high is 84 degrees. Wind will be mild with sustained northwest winds up to 7 mph and gusts as high as 15 mph. Winds at ground level are driven by the effects of temperature and terrain and can change direction and intensity quickly. This can cause spot fires in unexpected directions from the main fire. Firefighters have been briefed to remain vigilant to this effect. Relative humidity recovery last night was good, as high as 55% in areas. Today, it could dip to 18%. In these conditions, fire activity will be very high most of the day. Smoke columns are likely to develop. There is no significant precipitation forecast during the next several days.
Closures and Restrictions: Firefighters are reporting increased traffic in closed areas. For public and firefighter safety, please stay out of these areas. Until cleared for reopening, there are hazards, such as fire-weakened trees, stressed roadbeds and bridges, loosened overhead rocks, etc. that are not immediately obvious to untrained eyes. Forest Service closure information can be found at fs.usda.gov/r06/ochoco/alerts. For Bureau of Land Management (BLM) closures, refer to blm.gov/programs/fire/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions. Units of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument are closed. For more information: nps.gov/joda/planyourvisit/conditions.htm. For information on fire restrictions on public and private lands in central Oregon, refer to https://centraloregonfire.org/fire-restrictions/. Road closures can be checked at tripcheck.com. A temporary flight restriction is in place in the area to ensure safe aerial firefighting operations. Unauthorized drone and aircraft operations are illegal in this zone. For more information, visit https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr3. If you fly, we can’t!
Safety: Air quality in the area has recently experienced every level from Good to Hazardous and can change rapidly. For detailed information, refer to https://fire.airnow.gov/#8/44.457/-120.394. For information on mitigating the effects of wildfire smoke, refer to epa.gov/air-research/smoke-ready-toolbox-wildfires. Please stay out of closed areas, follow evacuation orders and avoid activities that could spark another wildfire.