White River Fire tops 11,000 acres; 4 more structural protection task forces called
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office has mobilized four more structural-protection task forces to support the three task forces sent Friday to a wildfire that has more than doubled in size near the Wasco County community of Pine Grove.
The White River Fire, reported at under 5,000 acres on Friday, had grown to 11,184 acres by Saturday, with 10% containment reported by the more than 800 personnel on hand. It was burning about 14 miles from Maupin and 11 miles from Tygh Valley.
Saturday's mobilization of resources followed Gov. Kate Brown’s Conflagration declaration on Friday, clearing the way for the OSFM to mobilize firefighters and equipment to assist local resources battling the fire.
The four task forces mobilized Saturday to join the OSFM’s Red Incident Management Team were being sent from Benton, Yamhill, Lane and Douglas counties. One of the task forces called up Friday included a dozen members of several Central Oregon fire agencies.
The structural fire resources will self-screen with the Wildland Fire COVID-19 Screening Tool prior to mobilizing at the staging area in Tygh Valley. Crews will be working to protect threatened structures and property.
The Red Team will be working in unified command with PNW Team 3 on this incident. The two teams have unified into one team, managing incident resources under one operational plan.
The OSFM continues to maintain active communication with the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System to assess availability of structural firefighting resources in the state.
"Sufficient resources remain available to address anticipated needs based on forecast conditions and current incidents," the announcement said.
Updates for the fire may be accessed at:
• A Facebook Live event is set for 6 p.m. Saturday, at the White River Fire Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WhiteRiverFire
• Oregon State Fire Marshal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OregonStateFireMarshal
• Wasco County Sheriff’s Office Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WascoCountySheriff
