Oregon governor issues emergency fire order; three prisons evacuated

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Oregon governor issues emergency fire order; three prisons evacuated

The state's largest firefighting helicopters are unavailable; they were deployed to Afghanistan.

A large number of fires breaking out across the state is a "once in a generation event," that will last for at least another two days, Gov. Kate Brown said Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Brown declared a conflagration emergency on Tuesday due to rapidly spreading wildfires. She said thousands of people had been ordered to evacuate in the swiftly changing situation.

"Get the hell out," Brown said, quoting a comment about evacuation orders by Sen. Herman Baertschiger Jr., R-Grants Pass.

The Santiam Fire had burned 131,000 acres and is moving west toward the Salem area. The Holiday Farm Fire in Lane County closed Highway 126 between Springfield and Bend. Fire officials said both blazes started on the east side of the Cascades and jumped the ridges to the west.

The scope of the fires was presented late Tuesday in a press conference that included state fire, emergency management and public health officials. About 3,000 firefighters are involved from around the state, with the focus Tuesday on evacuations.

The rapidly expanding map of fires included Clackamas and Washington counties in the Portland area, along with Lincoln, Klamath and Lane counties, according to said Doug Grafe of the Oregon Department of Forestry.

A 2,000 acre-fire near Chiloquin in Klamath County closed U.S. Highway 97. In the late afternoon, two fires were reported in the Medford area.

Officials said they are unaware of any loss of life. Fires have destroyed structures in Mill City in Marion County and other areas.

"We know our losses are going to be great," Brown said.

State officials were working on evacuation plans and shelters that will take into account the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winds that topped 50 miles per hour in valleys west of the Cascades on Monday pushed fires rapidly west. The winds topped 30 mph on Tuesday, with occasional gusts of 40 mph. Winds are expected to drop to less than 15 mph on Wednesday.

"Thursday is really our turning point to go on the offensive," Grafe said.

Grafe said the fires were stoked by the driest conditions and the largest amount of underbrush and other fuel in three decades.

In addition to winds from the east, winds from the north will take hold on Wednesday, pushing smoke from fires south.

Brown said there are initial reports that some of the fires may have been caused by downed power lines. She promised an investigation into the causes of the fires after the emergency is over.

The Oregon Department of Corrections evacuated 1,450 inmates from three Salem-area facilities due to the fire danger. The inmates from the Oregon State Correctional Institution, Santiam Correctional Institution, and Mill Creek Correctional Facility were moved to the Oregon State Penitentiary. No inmates were released from custody, officials said.

Smoke was reported as far west as U.S. Highway 101 on the Oregon Coast. Much of the Willamette Valley was under a heavy cloak of smoke, with ash falling on homes and cars.

The Oregon National Guard is operating four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters out of Madras to drop fire retardant. Six of the state's largest firefighting helicopters, the CH-47 Chinooks, are not available because they have been deployed to Afghanistan at the request of the Department of Defense to aid in military missions. The National Guard was activating three 125-soldier firefighting teams to be deployed as needed.

The Oregon National Guard is operating a total of seven helicopters supporting firefighting efforts. Six HH-60M Black Hawks, five outfitted with Bambi buckets to support water drops and one to support search and rescue operations. A UH-72 Lakota with infrared radar is being used to aid in fire mapping.

Fairgrounds in Marion, Polk and Lane counties were opened for evacuated livestock.

High winds caused power outages in the Crater Lake National Park area.

Nationwide, 15 new large fires were reported Monday bringing the national total to 87 large fires that have burned more than 2.7 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. An update on Tuesday's new fires would be posted Wednesday, according to the agency.

Officials said Oregon residents should monitor the mass emergency notification systems of their local law enforcement and fire agencies. Most offer alerts via cell phone.

Canonconstructor on September 10th, 2020 at 16:09 UTC »

I don’t know if any Oregon friends will read this but I was just evacuated from my home in California and have some advice and tips I wish I would have known before hand.

Fill up your gas tank and make sure its at least at 3/4 until all fires are extinguished. -Pack way more than you think you'll need.  We anticipated 2-3 days but ended up being evacuated for 2 weeks.   Make a list of things you don't want to leave without and keep it by the door.  Its easy to forget things in a frenzy (I forgot both my laptop and wedding ring) If you have kiddos keep a go bag of their distance learning materials.  The sooner they have structure the safer they feel.  Take a video of everything in your home.  Open up and show and talk through the contents of all the closets, drawers, fridge, freezer.  Walk around your property and verbally talk about different plants, landscape etc.   Turn off your propane tanks if you have them before you go. -Throw everything away in your fridge and freezer before you go and don't forget to take out the trash.  If you're evacuated, it is likely your power will be shut off and you'll return to a smelly mess.   If your address is not current on your ID make sure to keep a copy of your utility bill with your important documents to show residency for fema/airb&b applications etc-Contact your insurance agent now and start your claim.  Most home and renters insurance will cover 2 weeks of food, lodging, and supplies while under mandatory evacuation.  Monitor AirB&B - once evacuated they will open up emergency housing for free.  Do not get discouraged if they say no pets- email the owner directly because all rules are usually thrown out of the window during emergency situations. Before you go, seal and shut all windows and doors.  Make sure to close or wrap any ac units. This will greatly reduce smoke damage.   If you can, self evacuate early.  I do not want to see any of my Oregon friends stuck in traffic.  I encourage you to follow your gut and go when you say you feel unsafe.   Keep a cooler of non perishable drinks and snacks in your car.  We had to drive to another state to find somewhere that would take doggos and was kid friendly. - Withdraw a bit of cash to keep on you.  I forgot to notify my bank and I had a fraud alert placed on my cards.   When you get back home, do not sweep or blow the ash.  This can create a toxic air quality and can blow hot embers.  Instead use a hose to wet down the ash and wet paper towels.   When you get back home, replace all filters in your home and car- An easy way to rid your home of the smoke smell is to attach large filters to box fans, cover with a wet towel doused in fabric softner and let them run.

Above ALL else, I hope my Oregon friends and family are safe.  My last bit of advice is to take it easy on yourself.  You're in the middle of a global pandemic, your home and community is on fire.  It is ok to have hard days, to grieve for your loss and your community and just the general situation of the dumpster fire that is 2020.  Allow yourself to cry, get angry, drink a glass of wine, or smoke a joint.  Its ok to not be ok and to feel unsafe right now. 

Edit- Formatting I hope this helps and my apologies that it took so long to get on my computer to edit the comment properly

VonGeisler on September 10th, 2020 at 15:06 UTC »

I imagine BC will be flying down to help soon. Our fires in Alberta and BC were on the low level this year.

oregon300 on September 10th, 2020 at 13:25 UTC »

wheres' our erickson sky cranes!?!