Gov. Kotek declares statewide emergency over wildfires
On Wednesday, July 16, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency over the wildfires at the request of the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon State Fire Marshal. Forest Grove firefighters are once again aiding at statewide wildfires.
Oregon is in a state of emergency.
The Cram Fire. Highland Fire. Elk Fire. Cold Springs Fire.
The hits keep coming for a wildfire season that is rapidly becoming a doozy.
On Wednesday, July 16, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency over the wildfires at the request of the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon State Fire Marshal.
“Oregon is already experiencing a devastating wildfire season that will have lasting consequences. The summer is only getting hotter, drier, and more dangerous – we have to be prepared for worsening conditions," Kotek said in a press release announcing the declaration.
"All Oregonians are to heed the direction of emergency officials regarding this emergency to protect their safety," the governor's order stated.
Oregon has already declared six state conflagrations and requested federal assistance through FEMA's Fire Management Assistance Grant for two wildfires.
Locally, no large wildfires in this newspaper's territory have sparked, thanks to the efforts of local firefighters who have kept field and brush fires small. The largest have engulfed several acres, including a four-acre field fire between Banks and Forest Grove on Sunday.
Local firefighters have deployed to help the rest of the state. They've climbed inside brush rigs, engines, and command vehicles, pulling out of bay doors in Banks, Forest Grove, and Gaston, heading east and south in task forces from Washington and Yamhill Counties, and in Oregon Department of Forestry deployments from the local ODF offices on Gales Creek Road.
As of press time, Forest Grove and Gaston firefighters were aiding a surge of firefighters battling the 64,000-acre Cram Fire northeast of Madras. Part of a larger Washington County Task Force that was originally assigned to fight the Highland Fire in Crook County, the crews were reassigned to the Cram fire on Monday, according to a spokesperson for the Oregon State Fire Marshal.
"We sent a Type 6 Brush Rig with two personnel," Forest Grove Fire & Rescue said. "We also have a Division Chief deployed as a member of the Oregon State Fire Marshal Incident Management Team," the agency added.
Gaston sent a brush rig with Lieutenant Jason Lawson and Firefighter and Engineer Olivia Simpson.
They were joined by crews from Hillsboro Fire & Rescue and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.
The governor's declaration is an administrative tool that directs state agencies to support firefighting efforts and recovery, including the deployment of the Oregon National Guard if necessary.
"New and existing fire threats elevate the need for access to state resources, including ground support and firefighting aircraft," the governor's order said. "This threat is not likely to recede in the near future. It is critically important that state resources like the Oregon National Guard be prepared to expedite requested resources and respond effectively to these dangerous and
dynamic conditions, if requested."
The declaration will be in place through the end of the year, until fire season ends or "the threat is significantly relieved," as determined by the governor.
