Emergency Conflagration Act invoked for Service Fire in Wheeler Co.
By Logan Bagett on Tuesday, September 10th, 2024 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
SALEM – (Release from the Oregon State Fire Marshal)
The Oregon State Fire Marshal mobilized resources to the Service Fire in Wheeler County overnight as the fire, pushed by gusty winds and critical fire conditions, rapidly grew Monday. The lightning-sparked fire is estimated to be 15,000 acres as of Monday night. The Wheeler County Sheriff has issued levels 1, 2, and 3 evacuation notices. You can find the latest on evacuations here.
Over the weekend, two task forces assigned to the Shoe Fly Fire were reassigned to the Service Fire through Immediate Response. Two additional task forces from Marion and Clatsop counties arrived Monday night, bringing the total to four task forces.
The OSFM will coordinate structural protection resources with the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 2, which is managing the Service Fire.
“We are anticipating cooler weather over the next week and that should decrease fire behavior. The OSFM continues to use every tool at our disposal to protect people, property, and critical infrastructure from wildfire,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “This has been a challenging summer for our hardworking firefighters, and we encourage everyone to remain vigilant.”
A community meeting for the Service Fire is planned for Wednesday, September 11 at the Fossil Elementary School Gymnasium at 6:30 p.m. Please use the west entrance.
This is the 17th time the Emergency Conflagration Act was invoked this year.
