An infrared map outlines what has been burned by the Elbow Creek Fire in northwestern Wallowa County. The fire, in the latest update Saturday morning, July 17, 2021, has burned an estimated 10,941 acres.

Growth of the Elbow Creek Fire seemed to be at a minimum Saturday, July 17. 

“There was nothing major that happened, no major explosion of the fire,” Acacia Probert, Public Affairs Specialist with the U.S. Forest Service, said Saturday evening. 

Exactly what happened on some of the fronts of the blaze Saturday is still unclear, as full details have not yet been reported. 

The focus Saturday was on keeping the blaze from jumping Wildcat Creek to the east, Probert said. The goal was to get containment lines in place and then conduct a backburn toward the fire. 

“There wasn’t any update, so I don’t know how the backburn on the east side of the fire went,” she said. 

She also said that during an inbriefing Saturday for Type 1 Oregon Department of Forestry Team 3, which will take over the fire Sunday, safety and community were among the points reiterated. 

“Everyone talked about safety over everything else … (Community) is a major component, highlighting those community relationship and those ties to the natural resources people have,” she said. “That’s leaders’ intent — all from the agencies that have fires in their jurisdiction.”

The latest update on the fire was that is had burned 10,941 acres.