Eagle Bluff Fire

Eagle Bluff Fire
Eagle Bluff Fire
Date(s)	July 29, 2023 – August 8, 2023
Statistics
Burned area	34,049 acres (13,779 ha)
Ignition
Cause	Unknown

The Eagle Bluff Fire was an active wildfire that burned in the United States and Canada near Oroville, Washington, United States and Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada. The fire began near Oroville, Washington, at about 2:00 pm PT on July 29, 2023.^[1]^[2] As of August 8, 2023^[update] the fire burned a total of 34,049 acres (13,779 ha) between Canadian and US soil. ^[3]The cause of the fire is still unknown and under an active investigation.^[1]^[3]

History

July

The fire began near Oroville, Washington at around 2:00 pm PT on July 29, 2023.^[2]

August

On August 1, 2023, the fire had burned 16,428 acres (6,648 ha) and was 62% contained.^[3]

Cause

The cause of the fire is still unknown and under investigation.^[4]

Impact

3 structures have been lost to the fire.^[5] 300 single residences are threatened by the fire.^[4]

Closures and evacuations

On July 29, 2023, Level 3 evacuations were issued for anyone living on both the East and West sides of State Route 97 from Shirley Road near the US-Canada border to Oroville.^[6] The next day at 6:00 pm PT, all Level 3 evacuations were lowered to Level 2. Residents were allowed to return to their homes but were told to be prepared to evacuate if necessary.^[7] An evacuation center has been set up by the Red Cross at Oroville High School in Oroville, Washington.^[8] Roads bordering U.S. Highway 97 that link Oroville and Osoyoos, British Columbia, were closed. On July 30, those roads were reopened. Routes through the area affected by the fire between the communities of Oroville, Nighthawk, and Loomis are still closed.^[9]

Political

On July 30, 2023, at 8:55 am PT, the state of Washington's request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) was granted. The grant will help with various firefighting costs associated with the fire. Additional funds are also being made available to Washington through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for wildfire mitigation and related hazards, such as floods after the fire and erosion.^[10]