Waste material fire at Woodgrain in La Grande was intensified by extreme wind

By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Thursday, September 26th, 2024 in Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories

LA GRANDE – On September 25, 2024, at 3:32pm, the City of La Grande Fire Department was dispatched to a fire at the Woodgrain Mill on Island Ave in La Grande. The fire, according to Chief Cornford, “was in a large pile of waste materials in the yard. The fire was intensified due to the extreme winds at the time.”

Chief Cornford noted that there were a few grass fires that started in the right of way along I-84 and Island Ave.

“Multiple La Grande fire crews along with the assistance of crews from La Grande Rural, Imbler, Union and ODF we were able to bring the fire under control at approximately 8 pm”, according to Cornford.

Woodgrain employees placed two large sprinklers on the pile and had employees on-site throughout the night to monitor the pile. Supervisors from Woodgrain are working on solutions to get the pile removed.