MISSION – A grass fire burned about 300 acres on the Umatilla Indian Reservation from the evening of Monday, Aug. 11 to Wednesday, Aug. 13, prompting a large multi-agency response.
No structures were damaged, and no injuries were reported.
The fire was reported at 6:52 p.m. on Aug. 11 near Highway 11 and Duff Road. It quickly spread through light fuels and steep terrain, burning toward Thornhollow Grade and the Umatilla River.
The Umatilla Tribal Fire Department (UTFD) led the response with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Oregon Department of Forestry. Additional support came from Pendleton Fire Department, Pilot Rock Fire District, East Umatilla County Fire and Rescue, and Umatilla County Fire District 1. Local farmers aided with water trucks and discs to cut firebreaks.
“We had favorable winds, we had favorable conditions,” said UTFD Chief James Hall. “If this was like the fire last year … where we had 30, 40 mile-an-hour winds, this would have been catastrophic.”
Crews used helicopters, bulldozers and hand tools to build containment lines and protect nearby homes, including one on Thornhollow Grade. The fire was declared contained at 2:26 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
Crews were still performing mop-up duties on the fire as of Aug. 13, Hall said.
