UKIAH — Firefighters on the Battle Mountain Complex got an assist from the weather as rain helped knock down fire activity, fire managers reported in an update on Friday, Aug. 16.

The fire, which covers 183,000 acres in northern Grant and southern Umatilla and Morrow counties, is 94% contained. A total of 865 personnel are assigned to the blaze.

The northern half of the fire received a quarter- to a half-inch of rain Thursday in many of the drainages that have been smoldering. Firefighters continued to work on repairing any impacts from the suppression effort across the entire fire. The group working on back-up firelines around Penland Lake also continued removing trees, brush and other vegetation.

On the northern side of the fire, crews are focused on repairing handlines. Southwest of Dale, crews worked with chippers to remove brush that was cut along roadsides.

There is still some dozer line repair happening on the southern side of the fire. On the western edge, excavators continue to make progress repairing the lines by scattering brush to prevent potential erosion.

As the fire is nearly fully contained, equipment and firefighters are leaving the incident. Firefighters will rehab their gear, rest and get ready to respond to other fires. As equipment is no longer needed or is being moved to other areas of the fire to complete repair work, the public may see trailers and trucks parked along roadsides.

After several rounds of rain and thunderstorms Thursday, Friday will be mostly sunny. An isolated late afternoon thunderstorm or shower is possible.

The weekend will be mostly clear with a few clouds on Monday. An isolated shower or thunderstorm is possible on Saturday afternoon, but generally there will not be widespread rain. Highs around 80 to mid-90s.

Smoke: Smoke has moderated but is expected to persist from regional fires in the area. Residents can expect to continue to see smoke from interior pockets of unburned fuel. To see a detailed smoke outlook visit: https://linktr.ee/battlemntcomplex2024

Public Land Closures: Both the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service have either rescinded or reduced closure orders for public lands. Visit https://linktr.ee/battlemntcomplex2024 for more information.

Road closures and fire restrictions: https://linktr.ee/battlemntcomplex2024

Grant, Morrow and Umatilla County Evacuations: There are currently no evacuation advisories for the battle Mountain Complex in Grant or Umatilla counties. For updated information visit https://linktr.ee/battlemntcomplex2024

Total Complex Estimated Acres: 183,026

Location: Ukiah, Oregon

Cause: Under Investigation

Personnel: 865

Containment: 94%

Estimated Cost: $71 million

Resources: 13 crews | 20 engines | 1 helicopters | 23 water tenders | 15 dozers