The Heppner Ranger District is temporarily closed

The goal of the closure is to proactively protect the safety of the public and firefighters while multiple response teams continue to actively suppress large wildfires in the Heppner Ranger District while local resources respond to potential new reports of smoke. There are currently two large wildfires burning in the Heppner Ranger District. Lonely rock fire is estimated to be over 116,000 acres in size, with 40% of it contained and Boneyard Firewhich is currently estimated at over 8,300 acres and is 0% contained. All fires are actively suppressed and monitored by response teams. Lonely Rock And Cemetery fires have triggered evacuation orders for several towns. With several large wildfires raging in the Heppner Ranger District and two other large wildfires (Cougar Creek and Battle Mountain Complex) raging in the Umatilla National Forest, as well as several active large wildfires throughout the region, firefighter resources are stretched thin. Forest officials have ordered the closure of the Heppner Ranger District to protect the public and firefighters.

This closure means that the public is prohibited from entering any property, road, trail or recreational facility within the Heppner Ranger District. Access to county, state or federal roads is not affected by this order.

A detailed map and description of the closure area is available on the Forest Service website and at each forest office. Closure barriers and signs will be posted on the ground. Please note that additional closure areas remain in place due to large wildfires in the North Fork John Day and Pomeroy Ranger Districts. For more information, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umatilla/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5286768

For more information on the Battle Mountain Complex, Bone Yard, Cougar Creek and Lone Rock fires, visit:

Extreme heat and dry conditions will continue throughout the week. Firefighters would like to remind everyone that the current fire danger remains. EXTREME and Phase C of public use restrictions will take effect on Monday, July 22, in the Umatilla National Forest.

The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group set the national preparedness level at 5 (PL 5) on July 18, 2024, due to significant fire activity in multiple geographic areas, increased mobilization of crisis management response teams, and large-scale collaborative deployment of resources across the country. PL 5 is the highest level of wildfire activity. Large, complex wildfire incidents are occurring in multiple geographic areas, potentially exhausting national wildfire response resources.