UKIAH — The northern half of the wildfire near Ukiah received a quarter to a half inch of rain Thursday, Aug. 15, in many of the drainages that have been smoldering.

The Oregon Department of Forestry in an update Aug. 16 on the Battle Mountain Complex of fires also reported firefighters continued to work on repairing any damage from suppression effort across the entire fire. The group working on back-up fire lines around Penland Lake also continued removing trees, brush and other vegetation.

On the northern side of the fire, crews are focused on repairing hand lines. Southwest of Dale, crews worked with chippers to remove brush that was cut along roadsides. There is still some dozer line repair happening on the southern side of the fire. On the western edge, excavators continue to make progress repairing the lines by scattering brush to prevent potential erosion.

With containment of the fire at 94%, according to ODF, equipment and firefighters are leaving the area. Firefighters will rehab their gear, rest and get ready to respond to other fires. As equipment is no longer needed or is being moved to other areas of the fire to complete repair work, the public may see trailers and trucks parked along roadsides.

Weather

Aug. 16 will be mostly sunny after several rounds of rain and thunderstorms the day before. An isolated late afternoon thunderstorm or shower is possible. The weekend will be mostly clear with a few clouds Aug. 19. An isolated shower or thunderstorm is possible the afternoon of Aug. 17, but generally there will not be widespread rain. Highs around 80 to mid-90s.

Evacuation levels, smoke and more

The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office reported that following the morning briefing Aug. 16 on the Battle Mountain Complex, all evacuation levels have been removed. Umatilla County has no evacuation levels in effect at this time.

Smoke has moderated but is expected to persist from regional fires in the area. Residents can expect to continue to see smoke from interior pockets of unburned fuel. To see a detailed smoke outlook, visit linktr.ee/battlemntcomplex2024.

That site also contains information on public land closures, road closures and fire restrictions.

Total estimated complex size: 183,026 acres

Total containment: 94%

Cause: under investigation

Estimated cost: $71 million

Resources

13 crews

20 engines

1 helicopter

23 water tenders

15 dozers

865 personnel