Wrentham Market wildfire near Dufur grows to 10,000 acres; governor invokes Conflagration Act
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Gov. Kate Brown invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on Wednesday in response to the Wrentham Market Fire that broke out in Wasco County Tuesday evening. The fire near Dufur was estimated to be 10,000 acres as of Wednesday morning and Level 3 evacuation orders were issued for parts of the city.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal assumed command at 9 a.m. Wednesday and will work to bring resources from counties around Oregon to assist in the response.
“With high temperatures and weather conditions helping fires grow quickly, I have invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act to make more state resources available to the fire crews on the front lines in Wasco County at the Wrentham Market Fire,” Brown said. "I want to reiterate that preventing wildfires is critical this year, especially as we already have entered an early season, with several fires burning across the state. I'm asking all Oregonians to be cautious, be safe, and to honor all burn bans."
In accordance with ORS 476.510-476.610, Governor Brown determined that a threat to life, safety, and property exist due to the fire, and the threat exceeds the firefighting capabilities of local firefighting personnel and equipment.
The governor's declaration cleared the way for the State Fire Marshal to mobilize firefighters and equipment from other jurisdictions to assist local resources battling the fire.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Red Incident Management Team has been mobilized. T
In addition, three structural task forces are mobilizing from Multnomah, Washington and Yamhill counties. OSFM personnel is responding with a Communications Unit and a cache trailer loaded with incident support supplies, including COVID-19 PPE, tools to enhance defensible space around structures, and other provisions firefighters need to inhabit a fire camp.
The three task forces, totaling 41 people, 12 engines, 3 water tenders, 3 command vehicles, and 2 support units from Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill counties, arrived Wednesday morning for a briefing and assignments. Starting on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the fire was reported, OSFM staff was on the ground, supporting local initial attack efforts.
In addition, they worked with agency partners on aggressive air attack. The addition of the three task forces and incident management team will help bolster capacity in fighting the Wrentham Market Fire.
The Office of State Fire Marshal’s team assumed command at 9 a.m. Wednesday and will work to bring additional resources from counties around Oregon to assist in the response.
Additional updates for the incident may be accessed at:
