McCully

Control lines hold as crews focus on mop-up and suppression repair

The McCully Fire is burning northwest of Baker City in the Elkhorn Mountains, with remaining heat concentrated along the western and northwestern flanks near McCully Fork, Downie Lake, and Silver Creek. Firefighters have held control lines with no breaches over the last 72 hours, focusing on extinguishing isolated hot spots and backhauling structure protection equipment. While threats to populated communities have diminished, active evacuation zones remain in Grant and Baker counties.

Evacuations and Closures

• Level 3 — Go Now evacuation orders remain in effect for Grant County areas south of Forest Road 73 and east of the North Fork John Day Wilderness (updated September 10).
• Level 1 — Be Ready evacuation warnings remain active in Baker County for areas south of the Grant County line and Summit Lake west of Bourne (reduced September 10).
• All evacuation notices for the communities of Sumpter and Granite have been lifted (lifted September 7).
• Forest Road 73 (Elkhorn Drive Scenic Byway) remains closed between the North Fork John Day Campground and the Chicken Hill and Crawfish Basin road junctions, though Anthony Lakes remains accessible (updated September 8).
• Wallowa-Whitman National Forest emergency closures remain in place for Elkhorn Crest National Recreation Trail #1611, Crawfish Lake Trail, and Baldy Lake Trailhead (updated September 10).

Impact

No cabins or structures were lost in Bourne or the surrounding area, allowing firefighters to dismantle sprinkler systems and hose layouts. Smoke and smoldering duff continue to affect unpopulated backcountry areas.

Conditions and Outlook

An approaching cold front will bring gusty west-northwest winds that could stir up interior hot spots, followed by significantly cooler temperatures, improved humidity recovery, and widespread rain through the weekend. Crews plan to construct contingency lines on the west-northwest flank, patrol and mop up the southern perimeter, and carry out chipping and suppression repair along control lines.

Cause and Context

The fire was ignited by lightning on August 22, 2026, in the Elkhorn Mountains north of Sumpter. Incident command was transferred to an incoming California incident management team on September 7.

Official updates current through September 10, 2026.