DAYVILLE — Crews are taking advantage of favorable weather conditions to ramp up their efforts to bring the Rail Ridge Fire under control, fire managers said in an update on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

Burning just south of Dayville, the fire covers an estimated 162,000 acres and is 38% contained. A total of 1,269 personnel are assigned to the blaze.

Cooler evening temperatures and higher humidities have continued to slow wildfire activity in the area, fire officials said. Favorable conditions will allow for continued aggressive attack, as well as the strengthening of containment lines around the perimeter.

Hotshot crews will work the northern edge of the Rail Ridge Fire cold trailing for any heat sources and building containment line directly along the fire’s edge where safe to do so. Firefighters will focus efforts around the Battle Creek Mountain area and McNulty Basin as well as around Aldrich Lookout and Chrome Ridge to the east.

The rest of the fire perimeter will be patrolled and crews will mop up any heat sources that could pose a threat to containment while also working on suppression repair.

The fire is expected to exhibit minimal activity Wednesday, but heavy fuels — dead and downed logs and large stumps — are still holding significant heat.

Wednesday night will be the last overnight shift for the Rail Ridge Fire.

Seasonably warm and dry weather is expected for the rest of the week; however, it is not expected to significantly increase any fire activity, fire officials said. Overnight humidity will near 100% with daytime values dropping into the 30% range. Winds will be light and terrain-driven with gusts up to 15 mph at elevation.

Closures and Evacuations

The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have implemented partial closures because of the Rail Ridge and Crazy Creek fires, for all uses. For more details and closure maps, visit the Ochoco National Forest, Malheur National Forest and BLM web pages.

Evacuation advisories north of U.S. 26 in Grant County were lifted and the shelter in Mt. Vernon has been closed. For up-to-date evacuation information, please visit:

• Grant County Emergency Management Office Facebook page.

• Crook County Emergency Management Office website or Crook County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

• Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

Rail Ridge Fire at a Glance

Acres: 162,345

Crews: 35

Containment: 38%

Engines: 74

Detection Date: Sept 2, 2024

Cause: Lightning

Dozers: 19

Total resources: 1,269

Helicopters: 2 Type 1, 1 Type 2, 1 Type 3