NEWS RELEASE Media Contacts: Molly Johnson, Oregon Department of Forestry (Northeast OR District), (541) 805-4774 Christie Shaw, Oregon Department of Forestry (Central OR District), (541) 263-0661 Shawna Clark, Malheur National Forest, (541) 620-3426 Darcy Weseman, Umatilla National Forest, (541) 278-3722 Peter Fargo, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, (541) 523-1231 July 1, 2021 – 11 a.m. Passing Thunderstorms Ignite Multiple Fires in Northeast Oregon and Southeast Washington JOHN DAY, PENDLETON, BAKER CITY, and LA GRANDE, Ore. - Fire crews in northeast Oregon and southeast Washington are responding to multiple reports of smoke and fire following passing thunderstorms Tuesday evening. Approximately 23 fires have been confirmed out of more than 40 incidents reported so far to the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center and John Day Interagency Dispatch Center. Local initial attack resources have been busy responding to these incidents with support from aerial resources. Additional smoke reports are likely to be detected throughout the next few days as temperatures warm and fire activity increases. Aerial reconnaissance and fire lookouts are assisting with detection efforts. Current fire danger in the Blue Mountains ranges from HIGH to EXTREME. Public Use Restrictions are in effect involving campfires, chainsaw use, off-road driving, and smoking. Regulated closures have also been implemented on State and private lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) in northeast and central Oregon. Please call 911 to report a wildfire. For more information about Fire Danger Levels, Industrial Fire Precaution Levels, and Public Use Restrictions, please contact: 1 ODF, Northeast Oregon District Malheur National Forest: Phone: (541) 963-3168 or (541) 786-2039 Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/malheur/ www.facebook.com/oregondeptofforestryNEO/ Public Use Restriction Phone Line: 541-575-3113 John Day (541) 575-3000; Prairie City (541) 820- ODF Central Oregon District 3800; Hines(541) 573-4300 Phone: (541) 263-0661 https://www.facebook.com/MalheurNationalForest www.odfcentraloregon.com Twitter: @MalheurNF Umatilla National Forest: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest: Toll-Free (877) 958-9663 Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa- https://www.fs.usda.gov/umatilla whitman/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/UmatillaNF Baker City (541) 523-6391; La Grande (541) 962- Twitter: @UmatillaNF 8500; Joseph (541) 426-5546 www.facebook.com/WallowaWhitmanNF Twitter: @WallowaWhitman The latest fire information can be found by visiting the Blue Mountains Fire Information Blog (http://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com/). ### 2 .