Teen who sparked Gorge fire gets community service, probation

The early September Eagle Creek Fire burned nearly 49,000 acres and forced evacuations, caused an extended shutdown of Interstate 84 and sent ash raining down on Portland. It also is believed to have started a smaller, separate fire. It took crews about three months to fully contain it.

The newspaper reported the teen listened to about an hour of testimony from people affected by the fire that raged for weeks on the edge of metro Portland, including forest workers, volunteers, transportation officials and people who live in Cascade Locks.

He read this statement to in court:

HOOD RIVER, Ore. (AP) – A teenager charged in juvenile court with starting a massive wildfire in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge last fall by tossing a lit firecracker into the woods has pleaded guilty.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that the boy from Vancouver, Washington listened Friday to an hour of testimony from those affected by the wildfire and then read a statement apologizing for his actions.

He was sentenced to 1,920 hours of community service and five years of probation. Authorities have not released his name.

The teen, who was 15 at the time, was charged in October with reckless burning, depositing burning materials on forest lands, criminal mischief and recklessly endangering other persons.

“I want to express how sorry I am for what I did. I know a lot of people suffered because of a bad decision that I made. I’m sorry to the first responders who risked their lives to put out the fires, I am sorry to the hikers that were trapped, I am sorry to the people who worried about their safety and their homes that day, and for weeks afterwards. I am truly sorry about the loss of nature that occurred because of my careless action.

“Every day I think about this terrible decision and its awful consequences. Every time I hear people talk about the fire, I put myself down. I know I will have to live with my bad decision for the rest of my life, but I have learned from this experience and will work hard to help rebuild the community in any way that I can. I now realize how important it is to think before acting because my actions can have serious consequences. I, myself, love spending time in nature and now I realize how much work it takes to maintain the National Forest so people can enjoy it.

“I sincerely apologize to everyone who had to deal with this fire, I cannot imagine how scary it must have been for you. I know I have to earn your forgiveness and I will work hard to do so and one day, I hope I will. Thank you for giving me a chance to speak. This has been a big learning experience for me and I take it very seriously. I apologize with all my heart to everyone in the gorge.”

A lawyer also read a statement from the boy’s parents: ‘We want everyone to know our son understands the seriousness of his actions. … He feels deep remorse.”

Prosecutors and defense attorneys said the teenager didn’t intentionally set the fire and was with a group of friends who were solely “observers.”

As a condition of his probation, he must not possess fireworks.

A separate hearing will be held in May to determine restitution required in the case. Firefighting and other costs approach $40 million — and are expected to rise as authorities continue to assess the extent of the damage and needed restoration work.