The Rail Fire started Sunday afternoon, July 31, approximately five miles west of Unity, Oregon. The cause is unknown and under investigation.
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS PDT wrote it up.
The Rail Fire started Sunday afternoon, July 31, approximately five miles west of Unity, Oregon. The cause is unknown and under investigation. The majority of the fuel in this area is mixed conifer with dead lodgepole. Portions of this area are part of the 2002 Monument fire. Over many weeks, in spite of suppression effort by the Wallowa-Whitman and Malheur National Forests, the fire grew to 41,716 acres. Fire became 95% contained on September 7th. Rehab work continued until October 3rd.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Pendleton, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 7:53 PM PST, 4 hours 7 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
853 PM PDT SUN JUL 31 2016
updated fire weather discussion
.UPDATE...Very dry westerly flow will prevail through Monday. This
will result in clear skies. Winds will become less of a factor with
time and be mostly terrain driven. It will be warm on Monday with
highs in the lower 90s lower elevations. Potentially more
significant fire weather could impact the area on Tuesday as a
compact upper low moves across the area with limited moisture but
gusty winds. As a result Fire Weather Watches have been issued for
the Lower Columbia Basin. Current forecast is on track and there is
no need for adjustments to the gridded or text forecast this evening.
78
&&
.AVIATION...06Z TAFS...VFR conditions with clear skies and winds
mostly terrain driven and 10 KT or less are expected through the
period. Winds will be a bit stronger at KDLS Monday afternoon at 10
to 15 KT. There could be a little smoke/haze from the area wildfires
mainly at the northern TAF sites. 78
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...Have updated the Fire Weather Watch to include
WAZ675. Latest guidance is showing winds exceeding 20 KT and RH
around 20 percent over the eastern half of the zone for Tuesday
afternoon and evening. There is currently a large ongoing fire in
the area as well. 78
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
PDT 53 90 58 79 / 0 0 0 0
ALW 59 91 64 81 / 0 0 0 0
PSC 55 92 61 84 / 0 0 0 0
YKM 55 92 58 82 / 0 0 0 0
HRI 54 92 61 83 / 0 0 0 0
ELN 55 88 59 74 / 0 0 0 10
RDM 42 90 45 80 / 0 0 0 0
LGD 43 89 49 80 / 0 0 0 0
GCD 42 92 46 82 / 0 0 0 0
DLS 57 89 63 79 / 0 0 0 10
&&
.PDT Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
OR...Fire Weather Watch from Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday
evening for ORZ641.
WA...Fire Weather Watch from Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday
evening for WAZ641...WAZ675.
78/78/78The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Inciweb.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oregon in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Oregon, August 2016
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 641338.