Crews prepare for another night fighting Eastern Oregon’s Willowcreek Fire

A wildfire in Eastern Oregon, now dubbed the Willowcreek Fire, has grown to about 42,000 acres in its second day, and is now about 45% contained, according to officials with the Bureau of Land Management.

Heading into Wednesday evening, Lisa Bogardus at the Vale office of the BLM said by email that firefighters were preparing for another long night working to keep the fire contained between Willow Creek and I-84.

The fire started on private land near Vale Tuesday afternoon. Within a few hours, it spread to land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

According to the BLM, no injuries have been reported, no structures are threatened and no evacuations have been ordered.

Interstate 84 between Ontario and Baker City was closed at about 8 p.m. Tuesday due to smoke from the fire, but it reopened two hours later.

Crews from across Southeast Oregon and Southwest Idaho have worked to contain the fire.

Officials are investigating the cause of the fire, which is currently unknown.

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