Incident Management Team Ordered for Fires near Greenhorn

(Pendleton, OR, July 9, 2026) –Yesterday afternoon the Salmon and Greenhorn Fires merged into one fire and will now be referred to as the Salmon Fire. Officials have ordered a Complex Incident Management Team which will transition with the current Incident Management Team tomorrow morning at 6 am. They will be managing the Salmon Fire along with the Caribou Fire, Cow Meadow Fire, Olive Butte Fire, and Vinegar Hill Fire.

Forest officials will soon issue a temporary area closure around the fires for public safety and to facilitate firefighting operations.

The Salmon Fire is now estimated at 1,000 acres, and crews are working on improving the line to protect the community of Greenhorn.

Weather: Weather is expected to be similar to what happened yesterday with winds that are predicted to increase in the afternoon blowing out of the northwest at 8 to 15 mph with gusts up to 22 mph after 3:00 pm. The combination of predicted winds, low relative humidities and fuel loading in the area is a concern for firefighters.

A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) of 7 nautical miles centered around Vinegar Peak surrounds the Salmon Fire. The area is required for the aircraft to safely maneuver.

If You Fly, We Can’t! Please remember unauthorized drone flights can shut down aerial firefighting operations, making fires grow larger, threatening more lives, property, and critical habitats.

A level 3 evacuation notice for the Greenhorn area was issued by Baker County and is still in effect.

The public is asked to avoid the area for everyone’s safety and to facilitate firefighting efforts. 

Officials want to remind everyone that the current fire danger rating is at MODERATE for Umatilla National Forest.

For the latest information regarding smoke and air quality see https://fire.airnow.gov/.

For more information regarding Restrictions, please contact:

Umatilla National Forest:
Information Hotline: Toll-Free (877) 958-9663
www.facebook.com/UmatillaNF  
X: @UmatillaNF

The latest fire information will be posted on the Blue Mountains Fire Information Blog. To receive updates on fires in the Blue Mountains, follow our blog at http://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com/.

Additional information about the Umatilla National Forest is available at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/umatilla

 

About the Forest Service: The Forest Service has, for more than 100 years, brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology — and rooted in communities — the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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