Elbow Creek Fire Update - August 2, 2021 8 a.m.

 Wallowa, OR – Reports from the fireline informed that substantial showers occurred throughout the fire. Firefighters used this rainfall to their advantage, continuing mop-up operations and holding the fire in place. The fire remains stable at 22,960 acres and an increase in containment to 78 percent. 

Today is the final operational shift for ODF’s Type 1 Incident Management Team 3, before the incoming Type 3 team assumes command tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. Today, the incoming team will shadow to help them better understand the current fire status and operations.  

Mop-up will continue across the entire fire, with the Elbow Creek Drainage, Grossman Creek, and Sickfoot Creek being prioritized. Contingency work along the 62 and 6222 Roads will continue. Last night concluded all night operations. 

Resources will continue to be “right sized” for the incident, with many crews timing out or being demobilized. To accommodate this down-sizing, the Elgin Camp will be broken down and a spike camp along the 62 Road will be set up instead.  

Many hazards remain in the fire area, including fire weakened trees, stump holes, ash pits and many more. Additionally, heavy equipment, trucks and other firefighting apparatus remain active around the fire area. Staying off the roadways and out of the fire area allows these resources to continue to be effective. Thus, the Promise, Wallupa, and Troy Roads remain closed. To mitigate some of the listed hazards, the Umatilla National Forest remains closed as well.  

Evacuation levels within Wallowa County remain unchanged for now. Additional information on evacuation levels is available on the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Wallowa-County-Sheriffs-Office-147212815486187).  

Advisory: A virtual community meeting will take place over Facebook Live at 7:00 pm tonight. The Incident Management Team will provide a final update of the fire and share information on handing the fire over to a smaller Type 3 organization. Facebook Live Meeting Link: https://fb.me/e/4jEt5P5jL  

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