IMNAHA — Residents of Freezeout Road south of Imnaha were urged to evacuate Friday, Sept. 2, because of danger from the Double Creek Fire, according to a notice texted by the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office.

The road closed at 9:14 a.m., according to a press release.

A 7:17 a.m. text read had been sent out urging residents to evacuate.

“There will be fire units moving in,” the text read.

The road, also known as National Forest Road 4230, runs southeast from the Upper Imnaha Creek Road along Freezeout Creek.

The road was recommended for evacuation in a notice issued by the sheriff’s office Sept. 1 and then reduced to the Level 2 “Get Set to Leave” later that day. Early Sept. 2 it was returned to the Level 3 “Evacuate Area.”

This fire, first detected on Aug. 30 along Hat Point Road near Grizzly Ridge, was also likely sparked by lightning. The blaze exploded overnight, going from 50 acres Aug. 31 to 1,500 acres Sept. 1.

As of early Sept. 2, the fire was still listed as 1,500 acres with zero percent containment.

Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Public Affairs Officer Matthew Burks called the blaze an “active fire suppression incident” and noted that full suppression efforts are underway, including air tankers, helicopters, rappel crews and firefighters.

“It is growing and it’ll probably grow today,” Burkes noted of the fire during a Thursday, Sept. 1, interview. “But we’re working with our partners to put that one out.”

A briefing on the firefighting efforts is planned from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 2 at the Joseph Community Events Center.

Brian Anderson, district ranger for the Wallowa Mountains Office of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, said there are multiple bulldozers, fire trucks and aircraft battling the blaze. From the town of Imnaha, smoke is easily visible up the Imnaha River canyon, but the town itself does not appear threatened.

“The main focus is keeping folks safe,” Anderson said.

Wallowa County Commissioner Todd Nash said he and his fellow commissioners are keeping informed of the progress of fighting the fire. He said it appears the blaze is being contained.

“These fires in the wilderness (are) making quite a lot of smoke,” he said, “but so far they’re staying within bounds Forest Service hoped they would.”

He noted that fires are not unusual for the region.

“They call them the Blue Mountains because when the wagon trains came through, people looked over their shoulders and the country always looked blue because it was always on fire,” he said.

Part of the problem with fires in recent years, Nash said, is forest management.

“That’s in an allotment that should’ve been grazed,” the rancher said. “It’s unfortunate that there’s all that grass that should’ve been grazed that’s helping to carry that fire right now.”

But, he said, fire is part of the natural process in the wilderness.

“The positive thing about the fires is that they consume some of the fuel,” he said.

Nash said he was aware of bits of ash that fell on Enterprise Aug. 31 as a large cloud of smoke came up to the southeast from the Sturgill and Nebo fires.

“There were big chunks of black material with the ash,” he said.