The Cow Valley Fire has burned 20,000 acres in northern Malheur County and forced the closure of a 23-mile section of Highway 26 on July 11, 2024.

Cynthia and Steve Christy were planning on steak for dinner but the Cow Valley Fire interfered with the menu.

They had to settle for potato salad.

The couple live about half a mile from Brogan, an unincorporated community with about 75 residents in northern Malheur County along Highway 26 about 23 miles northwest of Vale and 42 miles east of Unity.

Cynthia said they were preparing on Thursday evening, July 11, to grill steaks on a barbecue with an electric fan.

Then the power went out.

Electricity was restored about 80 minutes later.

But the threat from the human-caused fire, which is under investigation, remains.

The blaze, which was fueled by brisk northwest winds on Thursday, has burned an estimated 83,500 acres of rangeland, primarliy private property but also scattered segments of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Cynthia said it was so windy that she had to swap her garden hat for more secure headwear while working in her garden.

A lifelong Brogan resident and former volunteer firefighter, Cynthia said she listened to her scanner to keep up on the firefighting effort.

She said fire crews cut firelines in Brogan during the night.

She said she could hear bulldozers working around 2 a.m. on Friday.

Sleeping was difficult due to the dense smoke, she said.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality alert for northern Malheur County on Friday, July 12, due to wildfire smoke.

The Christys’ property is in the Willow Creek Canyon, and Cynthia said smoke settled in the canyon. The couple were longtime volunteers with the Sumpter Valley Railroad.

Cynthia said she received text messages from the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office regarding the fire, and the potential for an evacuation notice. As of Friday morning no notices had been issued.

The Oregon Department of Transportation closed a 23-mile section of Highway 26 between Brogan and Ironside on Thursday, and it remained closed Friday.

Cynthia said she and her husband haven’t left their 5-acre property since the fire started. They live northwest of Brogan, along the segment of the highway that’s closed.

The fire has burned two abandoned structures, according to the Bureau of Land Management.