鈥淚t just won鈥檛 quit is essentially where we鈥檙e at, and our folks are really tired,鈥� Kyle Williams, deputy director of fire operations at the Oregon Department of Forestry, told the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire on Tuesday.
Williams and two others 鈥� Doug Graffe, Gov. Tina Kotek鈥檚 wildfire and military advisor; and Travis Medema, a chief deputy for the Oregon State Fire Marshal 鈥� told senators the state would likely wrap up its now five-monthlong fire season in mid-October, following a record 1.9 million acres burned. That鈥檚 nearly three times as many acres as the state鈥檚 10-year average.
Medema said projections from the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, which coordinates wildfire resources, showed one or two more 鈥渟ignificant event days鈥� before the state is fully out of the 2024 wildfire season.
The Oregon Department of Forestry is currently fighting a 300-acre fire near Coos Bay and the Fossil Complex in eastern Oregon, made up of five fires over nearly 25,000 acres.
鈥淲e鈥檙e finally on the downhill of the slope,鈥� Williams said, but warned that forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show 10 days ahead of dry and above average temperatures. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 next is what we鈥檙e focused on, and we鈥檙e in good shape. We鈥檙e mostly back in the barn ready to go again.鈥�
The bulk of the wildfires have burned through east Oregon grass and shrub, with about 25% of it in forestland, according to the . More than one-third of all acres blackened have been on private land, and about 62% has been on federal land. Most wildfires are caused by humans, according to the interagency coordination center, but this year the bulk of blazes have started from natural causes, such as lightning.
The wildfires prompted Kotek to declare a statewide emergency and ask for and regulatory flexibility for farmers and ranchers. She鈥檚 also invoked the Conflagration Act 17 times this year, with the on Sept. 10 for the Service Fire in Wheeler County. The act unleashes resources to fight blazes that threaten lives, communities or key infrastructure.
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