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'I want people to have the time to get out' — Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash talks about criteria he uses to set wildfire evacuation levels
Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash considers several factors when setting evacuation levels during a wildfire but his guiding principle is a single, simple matter. Time. “I want people to have time to get out,” Ash said. Because the matter of a few minutes can potentially save lives, Ash said that when he designates evacuation levels initially, when a fire is growing, he is “aggressive.” He bases ...
As the smoke clears, ranchers in Eastern Oregon face uncertainty
BAKER CITY, Ore. — In a normal year, the grass is mostly dry in the summer. The mountains look yellow with some spots of green, lots of sagebrush and some short trees bunched together. Standing in her front yard, Amanda Smull points to hills where the lightning hit and...
Evacuations in place for those near Town Gulch Fire in eastern Oregon
OREGON, USA — The Baker County Sheriff's Office has issued Level 3 and 2 evacuations for areas near a fire that started Aug. 5. Containment is at 35% as of Saturday afternoon. The fire, started by lightning, has burned 20,355 acres and has damaged at least two structures. The...
Oregon Governor invokes 'Conflagration Act' for the 12th time this year
(The Center Square) - For the 12th time this year, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek has invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act to combat wildfires. Kotek invoked the act on August 6, 2024, responding to the Town Gulch Fire in Baker County. The Baker County Fire Defense Board asked for assistance in protecting life and safety, plus structural fire protection. The state fire marshal concurred with the request. “Firefighters on the ground...
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