Conflagration invoked for Umatilla County wildfires
By Dan Thesman on Thursday, July 18th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM – [News release from Oregon State Fire Marshal] On Wednesday night, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for a series of fires in Umatilla County near Pilot Rock. The Oregon State Fire Marshal mobilized its Green Incident Management Team and three structural task forces from Benton, Marion, and Polk counties. One of those task forces was sent earlier Wednesday afternoon through Immediate Response along with a type 1 helicopter.
Significant lightning storms moved through Umatilla County Wednesday afternoon and have kept local fire agencies busy responding to wildfires. Gusty winds and dry conditions caused some of these fires to grow exponentially and threaten life and property.
“The conditions our firefighters are up against are extraordinarily challenging and we are working to provide the needed resources to protect our communities from many wildfires burning across the state,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “I can’t stress enough the importance of preventing any new fires and being prepared in case you need to evacuate.”
The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office has Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation notices in place. For the latest on evacuations, please follow the Umatilla County Sheriff on Facebook. Shelters are set up at the Pendleton Convention Center, 1601 Westgate in Pendleton, and Grant Union High School, 911 S Canyon Blvd in John Day.
For information on being prepared for wildfire visit https://wildfire.oregon.gov/prepare.
The Emergency Conflagration Act allows the state fire marshal to mobilize state resources to protect life and property. Following ORS 476.510-476.610, Governor Kotek determined that threats to life, safety, and property exist because of the fire, and the threats exceed the capabilities of local firefighting personnel and equipment.
