Upper Pine F Prescribed Fire Declared Wildfire 2024

Fifty days after ignition, Upper Pine F prescribed burn was declared a wildfire. It had yet to escape containment lines. It was not outside the project boundary. What happened? The Malheur National Forest has a long history of utilizing contract resources in various support roles on prescribed burns. Upper Pine F, a 1,064 acre landscape underburn, was awarded to a local contractor for implementation. The contractors and Contracting Officer Representatives (COR) worked closely to monitor spring burn conditions and began ignitions May 20 and 21, 2024 on the Emigrant Creek Ranger District. The conditions on the burn were considered acceptable per the contract and the District obtained full responsibility for patrol and monitoring on June 13. By July 4, personnel recognized that fire season had arrived and conditions were not going to improve. On July 8, the Forest determined the burn would imminently escape and made the decision to declare a wildfire.