The Eagle Bluff Fire was an active

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

that burned in the United States and Canada near

Oroville Oroville may refer to: * Oroville, California, United States * Oroville, Washington, United States ;Other uses * Lake Oroville, in Butte County, California, USA * Oroville Dam, in Butte County, California, USA * Oroville Municipal Airport, in Butt ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, United States and

Osoyoos Osoyoos (, ) is the southernmost town in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia between Penticton and Omak. The town is north of the United States border in the Washington State and is adjacent to the Osoyoos Indian reserve. The origin of ...

, British Columbia, Canada. The fire began near Oroville, Washington, at about 2:00 pm PT on July 29, 2023. the fire burned a total of between Canadian and US soil. The cause of the fire is still unknown and under an active investigation.

History

July

The fire began near

at around 2:00 pm PT on July 29, 2023.

August

On August 1, 2023, the fire had burned and was 62% contained.

Cause

The cause of the fire is still unknown and under investigation.

Impact

3 structures have been lost to the fire. 300 single residences are threatened by the fire.

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

. 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. An evacuation center has been set up by the Red Cross at Oroville High School in Oroville, Washington. 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.

Political

On July 30, 2023, at 8:55 am PT, the state of Washington's request to the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

(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.

References

{{Wildfires in British Columbia 2023 in British Columbia 2023 disasters in Canada 2023 disasters in the United States 2023 Washington (state) wildfires 2020s wildfires in Canada 2023 wildfires July 2023 in the United States August 2023 in the United States July 2023 in Canada August 2023 in Canada Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Okanogan County, Washington