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: 373,540
Location: 10 miles south of Fossil, Oregon
Containment: 78% acres
Cause: Lightning
Resources:
Total Complex Personnel: 1,639
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: Taking advantage of moderated fire activity, work along the US 26 corridor will proceed today with the goal of opening the highway as soon as it is determined to be safe.
Operations: Tuesday, firefighters continued working around the clock in coordination with Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to improve conditions along US 26. Crews did extensive mop-up work looking for smoke, heat and other signs of hotspots along the highway. When hotspots were encountered, they worked to suppress them. Felling crews sought out and removed hazard trees that can threaten the highway. Unburned fuels were removed or chipped. Helicopters were in heavy use overhead, an activity that would not be allowed if the road was fully open. All decisions regarding the highway opening will be driven by public and firefighter safety.
In the Mill Creek area, wildfire crews worked in conjunction with structure protection crews to control fire backing down the sides of the canyon. As the fire burns into defendable ground, crews will use direct suppression to defend the structures in the area. Structure protection crews worked to increase defensible space around structures to 100 feet. Crews performed strategic ignition operations near Salmon Creek to keep fire from threatening the US 26 corridor. In both Salmon Creek and Mill Creek, helicopters and Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) were used to drop water to reduce fire intensity.
Along Ranger Station Road (CR 23), crews continued to mop up, building depth around the slop-over and spot fires south of the road, as well as where the fire slopped over into the Mill Creek Fire burn scar. A strategic ignition operation in the burn scar along Forest Service Road 100 tied existing containment lines into established lines along the US 23 corridor.
Crews have been successful in bringing black to the edge of the lines along Cherry Creek and Tompkins Pass roads. An infrared (IR) drone flight over the area showed heat remains in the area, so mop up will continue into the foreseeable future. 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.
Today, firefighting efforts will continue 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.
Three task forces will be relieving last night’s shift of two task forces and one strike team of engines. Structure groups are focused around homes and outbuildings, ensuring that any potential fire impacts are fully mitigated ahead of any changing winds. Firefighters are working to expand mop up around structures from 30 feet up to 100 feet. Water tenders are also supporting operations along Highway 26 and Ranger Station Road, providing water for firefighters and helping bolster mop up operations. Improving conditions on the Rowe Creek Complex freed one strike team to be sent to the expanding Grasshopper Fire where extreme fire behavior is threatening structures.
Public Meeting: A public meeting is planned for 6:00 p.m. Thursday (tomorrow) 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: Tuesday, Jefferson County reduced evacuation statuses. 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 the high temperature is forecast to be 83 degrees. Relative humidity (RH) continues to improve, with a forecast low today of 25%. RH recovery tonight can reach as high as 75%. Wind will continue to be mild, with 11 mph sustained winds and 18 mph gusts. As always in this terrain, low elevation wind will be localized by the effects of terrain and temperature. Firefighters will be on the lookout for unexpected wind behavior. New moisture is moving into the area during the next two weeks, but there is no significant forecast of precipitation during the next several days.
Closures and Restrictions: US Highway 26 remains closed, currently from mile 29 to mile 49 (a reduction from Monday morning). For current road closures information, see tripcheck.com. Firefighters report increased traffic in closed areas. For public and firefighter safety, please stay out of these areas. Until cleared for reopening, hazards exist, such as fire-weakened trees, stressed roadbeds and bridges, etc. that are not immediately obvious to untrained eyes. Ochoco National Forest 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.