DAYVILLE — The Rail Ridge Fire grew by less than 4,00 acres over the past day while still crossing the 160,000 acre threshold as firefighters used cooler weather make significant progress in battling the blaze in an update by fire managers earlier today.

Infrared imaging shows the fire has grown to 161,675 acres and is burning in the South Fork John Day River drainage fire managers said in an update. The number of firefighters battling the conflagration rose slightly, sitting at 1029 compared to yesterday’s count of 975 while containment ticked up to 12%

Of the five megafires (blazes of 100,000 acres or more) currently burning in Oregon, three are burning partly in Grant County. In addition to the Rail Ridge Fire, they are the Falls Fire (152,000 acres) and the Battle Mountain Complex (183,000 acres).

The state’s other two megafires — the 294,000-acre Durkee Fire and the 137,000-acre Lone Rock Fire — are in neighboring counties.

California Complex Interagency Incident Management Team 10 took command of the fire at 7 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 6.

Today, the focus is on the Dayville and Morgan Mountain areas. Firefighters will look to take advantage of opportunities presented by moderating weather conditions and build upon the significant progress made this week.

Along the north end of the fire, crews are working to establish solid containment and reduce the danger to Dayville. OSFM will begin mopping up around structures in areas nearest to the fire line. On the northwest portion of the fire near Battle Creek, the fire continues to move slowly through light fuels and resources will be assessing options to utilize heavy equipment to improve access points for crews near the wilderness area.

At the slop over near Morgan Mountain Ranch, crews are seeking opportunities to go direct and reinforcing containment plans while OSFM task forces provide structure protection. On the south, and southwest portion of the fire, crews will continue to patrol and aggressively mop up where fire activity has been minimal for several days.

Weather permitting, air resources will be available to assist with suppression efforts throughout the day.

Overnight, crews held the fire and built upon the progress made during day shift. Portions of the fire received gusty winds in the evening, including the area of the South Fork of the John Day, where the terrain has presented challenging access for firefighters.

The Aldrich Lookout area became inaccessible during the night due to hazardous road conditions, and work to clear this roadway will resume today. Crews on the eastern fire line reported no significant fire activity, with fuels burning out as anticipated.

The area near Morgan Mountain did not receive the night-time moisture recovery that was expected, and the firefighters were unable to go direct. Crews in this area focused on prepping and reinforcing primary control lines and crews will look for opportunities today to go direct during calmer weather.

Yesterday, favorable weather conditions contributed to significant progress. Crews took advantage of cooler temperatures to complete burn operations near South Fork Road and Guyon Basin, behind the community of Dayville. This tactical process removes fuels from the path of the fire in a controlled fashion, ultimately reducing intensity and spread. Structure resources supported wildland resources and protected structures in the immediate area.

The burn operation was wrapped up during the night, and crews reported minimal further fire growth in this area.

Along the eastern edge of the fire perimeter, near the Fields Creek area, resources focused on establishing and improving control lines. On the 2150 road, fallers worked to remove hazard trees and keep roadways clear to ensure access to structures and critical communications infrastructure.

Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) resources continued to expand and improve structural hardening measures throughout the Dayville, Fields Creek, and South Fork Road areas. These crews have triaged over 470 structures and continue to increase this numbers daily.

Their completed preparation work includes fuels reduction, debris clearing, the placement of portable pumps and water sources, and the installation of sprinkler systems where appropriate. This process also includes pre-planning defense strategies, identifying engine access and establishing firefighter safety zones.

On the southeast portion of the fire, air resources supported suppression in the Morgan Mountain area, where firefighters continued to work on containing a spot fire and built contingency line. OSFM task forces supported wildland operations in this area and expanded prep work to include additional structures.

In the community of Izee, power was restored. A community meeting is planned at the Paulina Community Center, for Thursday, at 5:00 p.m.

A cold front will move across the region today, bringing cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and a chance of wetting rains. Gusty winds and thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon, with more wetting rain expected on Thursday morning.

With weather moderating, fine fuels will be less receptive and slower rates of spread are expected. Seasonably cool conditions should continue through the end of the week.

The Forest Service and BLM have implemented partial closures due to the Rail Ridge Fire and Crazy Creek Fire, for all uses. For more details and closure maps, visit the Ochoco National Forest, Malheur National Forest, and BLM web pages.

Shelters are available to evacuees. For up-to-date evacuation information, please visit:

Crook County: Crook County Emergency Management website and Crook County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

Wheeler County: Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

Grant County: Grant County Emergency Management Facebook page.