Owyhee County fire spreads to 4,700 acres, residents urged to 'be ready' to evacuate

Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman on Jul 26, 2026

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Lightning sparked a number of wildfires over the weekend, prompting Idaho law enforcement to tell parts of Owyhee County to be prepared to evacuate.

The Scorp Fire was first reported at 2:40 p.m. Saturday, about five miles northwest of Murphy, according to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. It grew to 4,765 acres by Sunday evening.

The Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office provided evacuation updates throughout Sunday, declaring a level one evacuation order to those in the areas of Murphy, Reynolds, Reynolds Creek, Pleasant Valley Road, Triangle, the Triangle Reservoir and Flint Creek Road.

“Be ready. (The) fire is moving rapidly to the south-southwest,” the sheriff’s office said at about 6 p.m. “If additional evacuations are ordered, residents should use Bachman Grade Road through Oreana as their evacuation route.”

A level one evacuation stage warns residents of potential danger and advises them to “get ready” to evacuate if conditions worsen, according to the wildfire action program that Idaho officially adopted this year. Level two means residents should “get set” to leave at a moment’s notice. Level three means people should evacuate the area immediately.

U.S. Wildland Fire Service said the Scorp Fire was “actively burning” on Sunday, and “making rapid runs in areas with continuous fuels and steep slopes.”

“Crews are aggressively constructing containment lines, using direct tactics where possible and employing indirect methods including burning out along trails and existing roads in steep, rocky terrain,” the agency said.

The response included eight engines, two dozers, one aircraft, two hotshot crews and one water tender.

U.S. Wildland Fire Service said it hoped crews could contain the fire — meaning stop its spread — by 8 p.m. Sunday. By 2 p.m., containment was at 75%, according to Watch Duty, a wildfire tracking nonprofit. The agency did not provide an estimate for when the fire would be fully put out.

Across the border in eastern Oregon, a much larger wildfire threatened residents after the Big Grass Fire grew to nearly 200,000, according to Watch Duty. Those living in the Pleasant Valley, South Mountain and Jordan Valley areas were issued a level three evacuation order on Sunday and told to leave immediately, according to the Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office.