Elbow Ck. Fire, Aug. 2

ODF report, Aug. 1, 1:32 p.m. – WALLOWA, Ore. – The weather system expected to cross over the Elbow Creek Fire did arrive Saturday night, but the predicted precipitation amounts did not. The fire area received 1/10 of an inch that was expected to receive up to ¾ inch. Some areas south of Wallowa received as much as one inch of rain. The Red Flag Warning, that was forecasted to be in effect through Sunday, has been cancelled. On the plus side, the fire’s spread has been stopped, remaining 22,960 acres. Containment has reached 71 percent. While the moisture has moderated fire activity, that effect will be short-lived as weather is expected to be warmer and drier over the next few days. With the fire growth essentially in check, work objectives around the entire fire will be similar from division to division – mop up and deepen the perimeter to mop up objectives. Special attention continues in the Elbow Creek Drainage and Sickfoot Creek. Work also continues on the north contingency line along the 62 road and the 6222 Road. Night operations have been suspended on the south end of the fire. Personnel and fireline equipment continue to be “right sized” to the current fire situation, including the medical and COVID teams. Some resources are being released for rest while others are coming in to continue with the dirty and labor-intensive mop up process. Engines and crews arrived from Alaska late Saturday. 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). The Umatilla National Forest remains closed as well as several roads within the fire area.