Single Publication

Courtrock Fire Transferring to Type 3 Incident Management Team 

Acres: 20,019 acres | Start Date: July 21st, 2024 | Cause: Lightning | Fuels: Timber, grass, brush

Containment: 97% |Resources: 250

MONUMENT, Ore. – This update will be the last one from Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 2, which will hand over management of the Courtrock Fire to the High Desert Interagency Incident Management Team, Incident Commander Chris Cook, as of 6 PM on Monday, August 12th. A Type 3 team is a smaller incident management organization. We thank the communities in Morrow and Grant counties for their patience and strong support. Fire updates are available on the Courtrock Fire Inciweb page, or Courtrock Fire Facebook.

Objective- Although a transfer of command will take place, fire objectives remain the same. Fire crews will patrol and monitor the fire’s edge and be available for any new fire starts, as needed. Firefighters will also conduct suppression repair, where necessary. On the east side of the fire, there are standing, half-burned fuels susceptible to reburning, also know as a dirty burn, located in steep terrain. This area is difficult to reach and presents a hazard to firefighters. That area will continue to be patrolled. As advised, smoke and the glow will be visible in neighboring communities, especially during the evenings. The unburned fuels need to be consumed; it is likely the remaining interior pockets that are holding heat and producing smoke will continue to do so until a significant weather change occurs in the area. The public should not call 9-1-1 for smoke coming from the interior of the Courtrock Fire. 

Weather– Today there will be a 20 percent chance of showers before 11 AM, with a chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Widespread haze is expected after 11 this morning, although mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. This evening, partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm tonight.
 

Closures- Driving in or visiting the areas affected by Courtrock Fire is a violation against the Forest Service closure order. Please wait to visit until the closure order is lifted, which means the area has been stabilized. 

• For Malheur National Forest closures information, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/news/malheur/news-events 

Evacuations– Level 1 evacuations are in effect for some areas. 

• For Grant County evacuation information, visit Grant County Emergency Management Office’s Facebook page, or sign up for the Grant County Emergency Alert System 
• For Morrow County evacuation information, visit the link below.