SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Department of Forestry said Monday it has ordered four hand crews through the Oregon National Guard, the latest step in a wide-ranging effort to contain and put out over 100 wildfires across the state, several that have grown to “mega-fire” status of over 100,000 acres. Through Governor Kotek’s State of
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Associated Press FOREST RANCH, Calif. (AP) — Wildfires across the western United States and Canada put millions of people under air quality alerts on Sunday as thousands of firefighters battled the flames, including the largest wildfire in California this year. The so-called Park Fire had scorched an area greater than the size of Los Angeles
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Several of Oregon’s largest recent wildfires are at or over 50% containment, thanks to the hard work of thousands of firefighters, while others being tackled are still at zero or in the single digits as the total burned surpasses 1 million acres, the Oregon Department of Forestry said in Sunday’s situation update.
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DURKEE, Ore. (KTVZ) – Eastern Oregon’s 11-day-old lightning-sparked Durkee Fire, largest in the state so far this challenging fire season, has grown to more than 288,000 acres, but crews have brought it to 49% containment and the latest state task forces departed Sunday as the structural threat has lessened. California’s massive Park Fire has grown
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Due to the intense wildfire activity in the Pacific Northwest, Forest Service leaders in the region said Sunday they have authorized the use of heavy equipment and fire retardant to suppress wildfires in roadless and wilderness areas, on a case-by-case basis. “These aggressive suppression actions are only used when they are
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BURNS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Authorities on Sunday released the name of the single-engine air tanker pilot killed while helping fight an Eastern Oregon wildfire: James Bailey Maxwell, 74, an experienced pilot who had spent 54 years flying and logged about 24,000 hours of flight time. Maxwell was killed late Thursday night in the crash of
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – With wildfires raging across the state, the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation wants to make sure people are taken care of in the event of a catastrophe and warned of those who may want to take advantage of a vulnerable situation. One of those ways is through an assignment of benefits
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) – After a week of wildfire-related road closures, travelers across Oregon should continue to carefully plan their routes. Fires are still actively burning near many highways, causing them to close and reopen with little notice, ODOT advised. With several more weeks of a long, hot summer ahead, wildfire-related disruptions are likely to
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – As wildfires continue to burn throughout the state and extreme weather events impact communities, Oregon residents are reminded to be prepared for potential power outages and the related emergencies that can occur. Wildfires and extreme weather can cause power outages, and weather and other conditions in specific geographies may cause electric utilities
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Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — William Howard went to the north-central Idaho town of Juliaetta on Thursday to help a friend after a lightning-sparked wildfire began tearing through the friend’s property, using barrels of water in an effort to extinguish “hot spots” on the land. But in the 15 minutes it took to refill
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CORVALLIS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Using trees as a cost-effective tool against climate change is more complicated than simply planting large numbers of them, an international collaboration that includes an Oregon State University scientist has shown. Jacob Bukoski of the OSU College of Forestry and seven other researchers synthesized data from thousands of reforestation sites in
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. government will invest $240 million in salmon and steelhead hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest to boost declining fish populations and support the treaty-protected fishing rights of Native American tribes, officials announced Thursday. The departments of Commerce and the Interior said there will be an initial $54 million
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Draft versions of the revised statewide wildfire hazard and wildland-urban interface maps has been made available to the public for review and comment on Oregon State University’s Wildfire Risk Explorer website.
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Associated Press A burning car pushed into a gully sparked California’s largest wildfire of the year, authorities said Thursday as they announced the arrest of a suspect. Meanwhile other blazes scorched the Pacific Northwest. Flames from the fire the man is accused of starting exploded into what is now the Park Fire, which has burned
Continue Reading Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Powerful winds and hundreds of lightning strikes from thunderstorms rattled eastern Oregon and Idaho Wednesday afternoon, cutting power and stoking fires, including one in Oregon that is already the largest active blaze in the nation. The Durkee Fire, burning near the Oregon-Idaho border about 130 miles (209 kilometers) west
Continue ReadingBy Ramishah Maruf and Chris Isidore, CNN New York (CNN) — The US Department of Justice on Wednesday for the first time shared details of its finalized plea deal agreement with Boeing, in which the troubled aviation company will plead guilty to a felony charge of defrauding the US government. Boeing agreed to pay a
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Pacific Power said Wednesday it is using commercial drones designed for power line inspections to photograph the utility’s assets, to assist in mitigation of wildfire conditions and to improve system resilience. The drones will help Pacific Power conduct a series of inspections on various transmission, distribution and substation facilities using commercial
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SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – From karate to surfing, fans will have more than 400 betting options through Oregon Lottery’s DraftKings Sportsbook for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, which begin on Friday. Betting options range from the number of medals for athletes and a country to whether a world record will be broken. Below are examples of wagers
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PENDLETON, Ore. (KTVZ) — If you plan to travel across Oregon in the coming days, ODOT strongly advised Tuesday that you “make sure you carefully plan your route. I-84 and many other highways in Eastern Oregon may be closed or unreliable due to wildfires. “With a long hot summer ahead, other fires and closures throughout
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Crews worked through the night to stop or slow the Microwave Tower fire near the Columbia Gorge town of Mosier, taking advantage of the cooler temperatures and higher humidity to make progress.
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