The Baker County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders for Oregon residents near the Town Gulch Fire, which has burned nearly 18,000 acres as of Wednesday morning according to the National Interagency Fire Center’s infrared map.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the wildfire, which allows the state fire marshal to mobilize state resources to wildfires that threaten life, safety, and property while exceeding the capabilities of local firefighting personnel.
The wildfire is burning around eight miles northwest of Richland. Communities under Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders include areas south of McBride Campground to Carson Creek and west of Carson Creek to Valley View Lane then west of Lee Creek to Foothill Ditch, and areas west of Foothill Ditch to Orr Hill Lane and Lone Fir Road intersection then following along the base of the hill to north of Highway 86, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. Multiple other areas are under “Set” and “Ready” orders.
“Although overnight fire growth and activity was minimal, hot, dry, windy conditions on Tuesday contributed to the Town Gulch Fire being extremely active,” the USFS Wallowa Whitman National Forest said. “Fifteen aircraft assisted the suppression effort Tuesday, conducting both water and retardant drops. Additional ground resources arrived Tuesday morning, bringing total personnel to 112. Intense fire behavior Tuesday afternoon resulted in all resources focusing on structure protection.”
The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Blue Incident Management Team was sent to fight the fire, along with four structural task forces.
The fire was first reported to the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center at around 9:30 a.m. Monday, USFS said. The fire spread to around 350 acres by late afternoon Monday and burned an estimated 800 acres as of Tuesday afternoon. The fire then topped the West Wall and started burning downslope in heavy timber toward Pine Valley, growing to 10,000 acres Tuesday night.
The American Red Cross of Idaho and East Oregon opened an evacuation shelter at the Lions Club in Halfway for those affected by the fire.
Residents are urged to follow the Baker County Sheriff’s Office for updates on the wildfire.
