State Fire Marshal partners with Washington state fire service for additional resources to battle Falls Fire

Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on the morning of July 14, in response to the Falls Fire in Harney County. Governor Kotek also invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on the morning of July 15, in response to the Lone Rock Fire in Gilliam, Morrow, and Wheeler Counties.

Assistance with life, safety, and structural fire protection was requested by Harney County Judge Bill Hart in response to the Falls Fire, and by the Gilliam and Morrow County Fire Defense Board in response to the Lone Rock Fires. The Oregon State Fire Marshal requested additional resources from the Washington state fire service to help combat the Falls Fire.

“The Oregon State Fire Marshal and the Oregon Department of Forestry are working in concert with each other to protect our state. Critical fire conditions are expected to continue into the coming week,” Governor Kotek said. “Fire incident management teams have been mobilized across the state to manage growing fires in the face of dangerous weather forecasts. Thank you to the Washington fire service for partnering with our state, and to all of the firefighters who are working tirelessly to protect Oregonians.”

"We are bringing in additional support from the Washington fire service for the Falls Fire, the severe drawdown of Oregon resources, and the anticipated weather conditions,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “Our strong relationship with the Washington fire service is invaluable, especially during their responses to Oregon in 2017 and 2020. We have a robust response system that transcends borders and supports our mutual missions. I can't thank the Washington fire service enough for their quick and reliable response to Oregon's needs."

The Oregon Department of Forestry is also augmenting the state’s wildfire suppression resources with personnel and equipment from outside the state. More than 70 out-of-state resources have been ordered so far, with 23 of those ordered through the Northwest Compact. Compact members include Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon and Northwest territories. By creating a cache of reciprocal resources through mutual aid agreements, member agencies can help one another when resources are strained.

A link to Executive Order 24-14, invoking the Emergency Conflagration Act in response to the Falls Fire can be found here.

A link to Executive Order 24-16, invoking the Emergency Conflagration Act in response to the Lone Rock Fire can be found here.

Following ORS 476.510-476.610, Governor Kotek determined that a threat to life, safety, and property exists due to the fire, and the threat exceeds the firefighting capabilities of local firefighting personnel and equipment. The governor’s declaration cleared the way for the state fire marshal to mobilize resources through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System to support local fire service agencies on scene.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal mobilized its Blue Incident Management Team and four task forces to the Falls Fire burning 20 miles northeast of Riley to assist in fighting the Falls Fire. Two of the task forces were brought in from Washington state through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal reassigned its Red Incident Management Team and mobilized seven task forces to the Lone Rock Fire southeast of Condon. The agency is working with its partner agencies from the Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, and local fire agencies to protect life and property.

The Grant and Harney County sheriffs' offices have evacuation orders in place. A map of Harney County evacuations can be found here. Grant County evacuations can be found here.

For evacuation information resulting from the Lone Rock Fire, follow the Gilliam County Sheriff.