BAKER CITY — Residents in and around Baker City can find out more about area wildfires Monday, July 29, during a public meeting.

The Southern Area Gold Complex Incident Management Team is hosting the meeting to discuss the Durkee Fire and Badlands Complex Fire. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St.

Representatives will update the public on the wildfires in Baker County, discuss fire plans and answer questions the public might have.

The Southern Area Gold Complex Incident Management Team took over management of the Durkee Fire and Cow Valley Fire today, under Incident Commander Debbie Beard’s leadership.

Wildfire updates

The Durkee Fire and the Badlands Complex Fire — consisting of numerous wildfires between Durkee and Richland — are the biggest fires affecting Baker County.

The Durkee Fire is the seventh largest in Oregon’s history, said Ashley McClay, the public information officer for the Baker County Sheriff’s Office. The Associated Press reported it is the largest wildfire in the nation.

The Durkee Fire as of July 28 has burned more than 288,000 acres and is 49% contained, up from 27% the day before. Personnel working to contain the blaze increased from 597 to 608.

The Facebook page associated with the Durkee and Cow Valley fires reported the weather on July 27 helped firefighters make good progress on the fires’ containment.

The Badlands Complex Fire has damaged more than 54,000 acres and is 0% contained. There are 228 personnel assigned to the fires, up from 179 on July 27.

More resources are expected to arrive July 28.

For the latest information on evacuation levels, visit the Baker County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

“When we issue levels, deputies from the sheriff’s office and rescue personnel have been going door-to-door in those areas,” McClay said. “We also use emergency notifications that go to people’s cell phones and we post on our Facebook page.”

Closures, fire restrictions

• The Baker County Sheriff’s Office has closed Burnt River Canyon Road to nonlocal, nonemergency traffic. The Oregon Department of Transportation has closed Old Highway 30 to nonlocal traffic to provide for public safety while fire operations are active.

• A burn ban is in effect for all of Malheur County, and all Bureau of Land Management lands in Malheur and Baker counties.

• A temporary flight restriction remains in effect over the Durkee Fire.

People who want volunteer for Relief Angels can sign up on the organization’s website: Relief-Angels.org. There also is a link at the top of the webpage detailing the most commonly needed items.

And there is an online donation account to raise money to maintain equipment for the Burnt River Rangeland Fire Protection Association, the volunteer association that was first to respond to the Durkee Fire and whose members have been fighting the fire since lightning started it July 17.

To donate, go to shorturl.at/RN2f5.