DAYVILLE — Cool, wet weather has slowed the growth of the Rail Ridge Fire, at least for now, fire managers said in an update on Friday, Oct. 18.

The fire, burning south of Dayville, is currently holding at just over 176,000 acres and 89% containment, with 561 personnel assigned to the blaze.

Although the weather conditions have decreased fire activity and fire suppression operations, there is still an immense amount of rehab work to be done on the Rail Ridge Fire, fire managers said.

Hundreds of miles of containment and contingency line was built during initial suppression efforts that needs to be repaired. Fire suppression repair, or rehab, is a series of immediate post-fire actions taken to repair damage and minimize potential soil erosion and other impacts resulting from fire suppression activities.

Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 2 is working with the local U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Oregon Department of Forestry offices to supply resources and personnel to implement a mutually agreed-upon suppression repair plan while they are on this assignment.

Fire suppression repair work occurs anywhere the ground is disturbed during suppression operations. This could be a small 2-foot-wide handline or a 20-foot dozer fireline. Some roads are damaged by heavy equipment and need to be repaired to their previous state of use. Staging areas, supply drop points, and places where firefighters install pumps can also require repair.

Weather has been partly to mostly cloudy with on-and-off rain and snow showers throughout the day. Minimal rainfall was recorded, but higher elevations did see snowfall of 0.5 to 1 inch. Humidity remained above 70% across the fire with winds gusting 20-30 mph at times. Temperatures struggled to rise much above freezing. Mostly cloudy skies will quickly move east, leaving clear skies and light to calm winds Friday with temperatures in the 20s. High pressure in the region Friday and Saturday will result in clear skies and temperatures warming from below normal Friday to near to slightly above normal over the weekend.

On Thursday, firefighters continued work on the fuel break at Forest Service Road 3850. They backhauled hoses and pumps that were no longer in use. Backhauling is the process of removing supplies and equipment from a fireline after a fire has been secured. Due to the rain and snow, road repair was slow going and access was a challenge.

Although risk of new fire starts is very low, NW Team 2 still has initial fire attack responsibilities under the Temporary Flight Restriction over the fire area, meaning the current resources will respond to any new fires.

Heavy repair work continues throughout the fire footprint, with firefighters prioritizing their work to be the most effective given the weather and ground conditions.

Most of the repair work will be in the south due to muddy roads in the north. In addition to repair work, fire crews continue to prioritize fire suppression, mop-up, and patrol where necessary.

Updated information about Forest Service and BLM closures, evacuation notices and fire restrictions for the Rail Ridge Fire area can be found at https://linktr.ee/RailRidgeFire.

Acres: 176,383

Containment: 89%

Detection: 09/02/24

Cause: Lightning

Personnel: 561