The cause of the Elbow Creek Fire continues to remain under investigation, Oregon Department of Forestry Duty Officer David Weaver said Friday afternoon, July 16. 

The party reporting the fire, which was first spotted around 2:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, did not see what the cause was, but did see roughly where it appeared to start. 

“It appears at this time it started in the river bottom,” Weaver said.

The fire has burned between 12,000-13,000, Weaver estimates, though smoke from the blaze is thick enough it makes seeing where the fire is a challenge. It is also hindering air attack on the fire. 

The fire started near the confluence of Elbow Creek and the Grande Ronde River. It has spread east along both sides of the river and has moved north and south. Friday, it jumped Grossman Creek and has started burning at Indian Point to the west. 

It is within about four miles of Troy and is about a mile away from Promise, Weaver said.