Wildfires burning in Central and Eastern Oregon have upended life for people in those communities, with more than 1,000 people evacuated from their homes statewide and air quality rapidly deteriorating as smoke spreads from the biggest blazes.
As of Tuesday afternoon, wildfires burned more than 300,000 acres across Oregon, mostly in Central and North-Central regions of the state. Another major wildfire, the East Evans Creek Fire, was burning in Jackson County.
In Wheeler County, about 200 miles southeast of Portland, some business owners closed up shop on Tuesday, unsure what will be left when they come back.
Jalet Farrell, co-owner of Spoke’N Hostel, a donation-based hostel in Mitchell, Oregon, opened the hub for bicycle tourists with her husband, former Mitchell Mayor Patrick Farrell, in 2016. The hostel caters to the long-distance bikers who travel through the various trails near Highway 26. She shuttered the facility to keep bicyclists safe as the wildfires inch closer, disrupting several popular bike routes nearby and worsening air quality in the area.
“The air quality had become so stagnant and so thick that it was a hazard to breathe,” Farrell said. “Between those two things and becoming a Level 1 evacuation point, we decided that we didn’t want people trying to get to us, we’d rather just close.”
James Good, owner of Good Bike Co. in Prineville, one of almost a half dozen bike shops in Eastern Oregon, also decided to close up shop and warn fellow riders about the wildfires. It’s peak touring season, and many westbound riders that started the Trans-Am route are starting to finish up.
“That’s part of their journey,” Good said. “I think a lot of the reason people take on these adventures is for the unknown. And I feel like these scenarios and these wildfires are very much the unknown.”
Forecasters expect another round of thunderstorms to roll through just as wildfires spread across tens of thousands of acres in the region.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for much of Central Oregon — including most of Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties — due to the high risk of wildfire. The warning is in effect through Wednesday.
While many fires remain far from densely populated areas, more than 1,000 people were under Level 3 “GO NOW!” evacuation orders across the state.
Air quality plummeted in many areas, especially around Bend, Pendleton and the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued air quality advisories covering 12 counties: Baker, Crook, Deschutes, Grant, northern Harney, northern Jackson, Jefferson, northern Malheur, Union, Umatilla, Wallowa and Wheeler. The advisories are expected to last through Wednesday afternoon.
Last week, lightning storms sparked two large clusters of wildfires — the Rowe Creek Complex in Central Oregon and the Hay Creek Complex in North-Central Oregon. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Rowe Complex covered nearly 149,000 acres and the Hay Creek Complex covered more than 100,000 acres.
Another fire, the Akawaya Butte Fire, was burning about a dozen miles outside the cities of Sisters, Culver and Redmond. It was about 10,400 acres large.
Oregon Department of Forestry staff said firefighting resources were spread “extremely thin.”
“We’re doing our best to prioritize fires as best we can,” said ODF spokesperson Jessica Neujahr. “But in the end, there’s only so many resources that we have.”
Neujahr said other U.S. states and Canadian provinces have stepped in to help through the Northwest Fire Fighting Compact. Federal firefighting agencies are also sending resources, like air tankers and fire crews, to tackle fires in Oregon.
“We remain the number one priority in the nation,” said Carol Connolly, spokesperson for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland. “We seem to be doing OK when it comes to the allocated resources that we’re getting now.”
The National Weather Service has also issued a heat advisory covering the Portland metro area, the Southwest Washington lowlands, central Willamette Valley, and the Columbia Gorge, lasting Tuesday morning through Wednesday.
In Multnomah County, people looking to cool off can go to the Bud Clark Commons facility in Northwest Portland from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday.
The Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency is opening cooling centers in Salem and Woodburn on Tuesday and Wednesday.
There’s also a heat advisory for northern Umatilla and Morrow counties. Anyone who needs help finding a cool space can call 211 or go to 211info.org.
Given the high temperatures and dry thunderstorms, Connolly and Neujahr stressed that Oregonians ensure they don’t spark any human-caused wildfires.
“That one extra human-caused fire on the landscape puts that added stress on the system,” Neujahr said.
One way to avoid sparking a wildfire, Neujahr said, is by checking fire restrictions before camping or picnicking. Drivers should secure tow chains and avoid driving or parking in dry grass. Power tools, like lawn mowers and trimmers, can also spark fires.
