Durkee Fire creates extreme storms, wind and closes I-84 in eastern Oregon
One of the biggest fires burning in the United States is the Durkee Fire in eastern Oregon. As of Wednesday morning, the fire was reported at 244,858 acres and continues to grow as intense weather is expected to hit the area.
The Oregon Department of Transportation closed Interstate 84 from Pendleton to Ontario on Wednesday due to unpredictable fire activity in the area. ODOT does not have an expected opening and travelers should not plan to use I-84 for travel. Check TripCheck for updates.
Heading into Wednesday afternoon, the area is under a red flag warning, hurricane force winds and a flash flood warning, according to the Durkee Fire updates. The National Weather Service also expects extreme thunderstorms and lightning in the area.
Due to the immense heat the Durkee Fire is creating and the existing winds, it is creating its own storms and changing the overall wind patterns.
"We call those pyrocumulus and you end up with a thunderstorm over the fire because there's so much heat and just enough moisture above the fire to get a storm that forms," Mike Cantin, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Boise, Idaho, said.
This happens due to the air surrounding the fire being drawn toward the fire creating erratic winds in the area. The gusty winds created could spread to other areas and elevate the danger for firefighters.
"The low elevation fuels, all the grass, the sagebrush, all of the trees below 6,000 feet are ready to burn. Any ignition source no matter how small can start another major wildfire," Cantin said.
The Durkee Fire experienced growth on Tuesday due to lightning ignitions over the weekend. This led to temporary closures of Interstate 84 in eastern Oregon for a majority of Tuesday.
On Saturday, Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the fire.
“The wildfires in Eastern Oregon have scaled up quickly,” Kotek said in a new release on Wednesday. “We are facing strong erratic winds over the region that could impact all fires. Rain is not getting through. Some communities do not have power. The situation is dynamic, and the teams on the ground are taking it day by day. I have deployed resources from the National Guard that are currently serving eastern and southwestern Oregon. I know these communities are supporting one another, doing their part to heed the guidance from officials and showing tremendous gratitude for our firefighters.”
On Friday, the Oregon State Fire Marshal sent structural protection resources in the form of firefighters and equipment to fight the fire in Eastern Oregon.
The fire was first reported last Wednesday and sparked by lightning strikes. The fire has brought level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations around Baker County. An evacuation map can be found at bit.ly/3YaNUJ0
"If you are outside, don’t create any sparks. Don’t drag a chain, if you are driving an RV make sure your chains are tied up, don’t park your car over grass, the heat of the engine could ignite it," Cantin said. "This is one of those critical situations, that’s why fire are getting so big the weather is just right and the grass and sage and trees are ready to burn, all it takes is just a little bit."
Emma Logan is an outdoors journalism intern for the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at elogan@salem.gannett.com or on X @emmmalogan
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Durkee Fire creates extreme storms, wind patterns in eastern Oregon
