Along the Idaho-Oregon border, residents are being pushed to evacuate while an advancing wildfire threatens ranchland, livestock, and nearby rural communities.
As KTVB reported, rapid growth has made the Big Grass Fire the largest active blaze in the region, intensifying evacuation warnings in Owyhee County.
What's happening?
The fire's footprint ballooned with unusual speed. The station reported it reached 130,000 acres at 7 p.m. Saturday, 220,000 acres by 9:30 p.m., and 280,000 by Sunday afternoon.
As it burned near Jordan Valley and crossed the state line, Idaho officials issued evacuation alerts. Cunningham Pastured Meats shared startling footage of the blaze on Facebook.
Residents were told to head toward Jordan Valley and continue north on Highway 95 to escape the fire, and that highway remained open Monday afternoon, KTVB reported.
Before that, the Owyhee County Sheriff's Office had placed some areas on Level 1 "ready" status, then later upgraded Pleasant Valley, South Mountain, and Jordan Valley to Level 3 "go."
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The station also reported that over 1.1 million acres have burned in Oregon this season. The Big Grass Fire, which began Thursday, was 5% contained as of Sunday afternoon, and officials had not identified a cause.
KTVB reported that several agencies were part of the response, including the Jordan Valley Rangeland Fire Protection Association, a volunteer rancher group in Malheur County.
Why does it matter?
Wildfires pose a major risk to communities across the country. The danger is especially acute in rural communities, where long distances, limited infrastructure, and finite emergency resources can make evacuations and firefighting more difficult.
In this case, the Jordan Valley Mayor Sheila Quintero told KTVB that the town itself was safe but that ranchers and rangeland faced the greatest risks.
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"They've been working constantly for three days, night and day," Quintero said. "We've seen flat tires. ... They need gas for their four wheelers and just their pumper trucks. We need fuel."
What's being done?
Emergency alerts are still being sent to residents in impacted areas. KTVB also reported that the Bureau of Land Management closed access to the North Fork campground along Juniper Mountain Road, with that closure expected to be lifted Thursday.
The most recent update from Cunningham Pastured Meats on Tuesday indicated that help had arrived.
"This is allowing the local RFPA guys to pull off the line and rest for a few hours," according to the account. "But I 100% guarantee they will all be back on the lines after they get a shower, a few hours of sleep, and some good homemade food."
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