Oregon’s destructive wildfire season becoming an issue ahead of fall election; US House District 5 candidates weigh in

(Update: Adding video, comments from Rep. Lori Chavez-Deremer, challenger Janelle Bynum)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ)-- Oregon has been hit with an intense, early wildfire season, with over 1 million acres burned by July. Local, state, and federal resources in the state are growing thin, as many large fires in Eastern Oregon continue to burn, weeks after igniting.

Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer visited with Redmond smokejumpers last week, to learn how Central Oregon is helping with the firefight in the region and to our east.

"We have to get this done. This is an emergency situation," she said Friday.

She is putting wildfires front and center in the campaign to keep her seat in the Fifth Congressional District.

"Over a million acres are burning in Oregon. We have approximately 13,000 firefighters in Oregon, in Washington. That's half of what's across the country. So when you hear those numbers, it's almost hard to believe," Chavez-DeRemer said.

We reached out multiple times to Fifth District opponent Democrat Janelle Bynum for an interview.

Her campaign sent a statement to NewsChannel 21, saying she is committed to delivering federal disaster relief and additional resources to "support first responders, farmers, and families."

Her remarks then turned to criticism of the incumbent, saying: "And unlike Lori Chavez-DeRemer, I’ll never vote to gut billions in funding for wildfire suppression or threaten wildland firefighter pay — like she did last fall."

Chavez-DeRemer backed Republicans' 2024 funding plan that cut $1.8 billion in federal funding for wildfire suppression.

The comes as multiple fires have scorched Central Oregon, from the nearly 4,000-acre Darlene 3 Fire near La Pine to the 75,000-acre Crazy Creek Fire in Crook and Wheeler counties, and now the 5,000-acre Elk Lane Fire west of Madras.

According to the Bureau of Land Management more than 100 wildfires in Oregon this year have been caused by humans.

In February, the state received $38 million in federal funding to provide aid ahead of the wildfire season. Now FEMA has agreed to pay 75% of the state's firefighting costs. 

When asked about what can be done at the federal level, Rep. Chavez-DeRemer said this:

"Well, first I'm going to say all hands on deck. I think that's what everybody feels. It's working with the Forest Service, working with BLM lands, working with the state agencies to say, 'Are we doing everything that we can to protect life, to protect property, and to protect the future?'" she said.

Opponent Janelle Bynum told NewsChannel 21 she will work tirelessly to ensure the state will "have access to every federal program and emergency measure needed to recover and build resilience against future fire seasons."

Chavez-DeRemer said: "I think, right now, staying focused on these wildfires matters to the people of Central Oregon, Eastern Oregon, and really the entire state. How we do policies at the state, the accountability, where we can do better."