Durkee Fire
{{Short description|2024 wildfire in Oregon, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{update|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox wildfire
| title = Durkee Fire
| image = BLM at the Durkee Fire on July 21.jpg
| caption = A Bureau of Land Management vehicle at the Durkee Fire on July 21, 2024
| date = {{Unbulleted list
| {{Start date|2024|7|17}} – {{end date|2024|8|7}}
| ({{Age in days|2024|7|17|2024|8|7|show unit=full}})}}
| location = Baker and Malheur counties, Oregon, U.S.
| coordinates = {{Coord|44|32|52|N|117|28|38|W|display=inline,title}}
| ongoing = no
| area = {{Convert|294265|acre|km2}}
| timezone = PDT
|image_map={{maplink|frame=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=250|frame-height=|from=2024 United States wildfires.map
|frame-latitude=44.3|frame-longitude=-117.47|zoom=8|text=Perimeter of the Durkee Fire (map data)}}
}}
The Durkee Fire was a wildfire burning in Baker and Malheur counties in eastern Oregon. The Durkee Fire was the second-largest wildfire in the United States and was the largest wildfire in Oregon's 2024 wildfire season.
Background
A lightning strike on private property in Baker County, Oregon, caused the fire on July 17, 2024, at approximately 9:30 am.{{Cite web |title=Durkee Fire |url=https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orvad-durkee-fire |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=InciWeb |publisher=United States Forest Service |archive-date=July 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240726142043/https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orvad-durkee-fire |url-status=live }}
Progression
{{As of|2024|8|7|df=US|post=,}} the fire burned {{Convert|294265|acre|km2}} in Baker and Malheur counties{{Cite news |last=Terry |first=Lynne |date=2024-07-25 |title=Firefighters in Oregon battle biggest blaze in country, with thousands facing evacuation orders |url=https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/07/25/firefighters-in-oregon-battle-biggest-blaze-in-county-with-thousands-facing-evacuation-orders/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |work=Oregon Capital Chronicle}} and is 95 percent contained. It is considered a megafire. The Durkee Fire is the largest wildfire in Oregon's 2024 wildfire season and the fifth largest in modern Oregon history.
The Durkee Fire was at one point the largest active wildfire in the United States.{{Cite news |last=Boone |first=Rebecca |date=2024-07-24 |title=Oregon fire is the largest burning in the US. Thunderstorms and high winds are exacerbating it |url=https://apnews.com/article/oregon-wildfire-durkee-storm-winds-d52ea29c4162267312e0e6b633476fdb |access-date=2024-07-26 |work=Associated Press |location=Boise, Idaho}} InciWeb estimated it will be fully contained by August 8.
Effects
{{As of|2024|7|24|df=US|post=,}} the fire has destroyed 2 homes and 12 other buildings.
On July 20, the fire prompted the evacuation of Huntington, Oregon, a city home to about 500 people. On July 24, gas service to residents in the town was shut off.
The fire has prompted intermittent closures of Interstate 84 in Oregon (I-84),{{Cite news |last=Tuttle |first=Zoe |last2=Armstrong |first2=Zack |date=2024-07-23 |title=I-84 eastbound lanes reopen after closure due to wildfire in eastern Oregon |url=https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/wildfire/durkee-fire-interstate-84-closure-eastern-oregon-baker-city-ontario-scheduled-overnight-closures/277-77ec556f-f74b-42ed-8adf-46c7de98b7dc |access-date=2024-07-26 |work=KGW |location=Boise, Idaho}} including from Pendleton to Ontario on July 24.{{Cite news |last=Urness |first=Zach |last2=Deins |first2=Elliott |last3=Robledo |first3=Anthony |date=2024-07-25 |title=Oregon wildfire map: Track 38 uncontrolled blazes that have burned nearly 1 million acres |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/07/25/oregon-wildfire-tracker-map-durkee-fire/74548015007/ |access-date=2024-07-26 |work=USA Today}} The Durkee Fire is active to the west of I-84, but a separate smaller fire called the Thompson Fire has been active to the east of the road.{{Cite news |last=Macuk |first=Anthony |last2=Raineri |first2=Joe |last3=Cook |first3=Katherine |date=2024-07-24 |title=Durkee Fire in eastern Oregon is the largest fire burning in the US |url=https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/wildfire/durkee-fire-top-priority-wildfires-all-over-oregon/283-7b3e7460-0509-485a-a559-a849f37eacd7 |access-date=2024-07-26 |work=KGW |location=Portland, Oregon}} Additionally, the Cow Valley Fire is to the southeast.{{Cite news |date=2024-07-26 |title=Durkee, Cow Valley, and Bonita Fires Update for Friday, July 26, 2024 |url=https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-publication/orvad-durkee-fire/durkee-fire-update-07-26-2024 |access-date=2024-07-26 |work=InciWeb |publisher=United States Forest Service}}
Idaho Power, a major electricity company in the area, warned customers to prepare for outages, and 7,000 of its customers had no power by the afternoon of July 24.
The fire has killed hundreds of cattle.{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=Graeme |date=2024-07-26 |title='Firenado' rips through California in year's biggest blaze |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd1dlzy04l8o |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=BBC}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons}}
- [https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orvad-durkee-fire Durkee Fire on InciWeb]
{{2024 wildfires}}
{{Oregon wildfires}}
Category:2024 Oregon wildfires
Category:July 2024 in the United States