Emergency Conflagration Act invoked for Telephone, Elk Lane fires

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Oregon’s Emergency Conflagration Act has been invoked again this wildfire season, this time for the Telephone Fire in Harney County and the Elk Lane Fire in Jefferson County.

Gov. Tina Kotek’s office announced on Monday the act, which helps deploy more emergency resources to battle wildfires, had been invoked on Thursday, Aug. 1 for the Telephone Fire . The request came from Harney County Judge Bill Hart, according to the governor’s office.

Meanwhile, the Oregon State Fire Marshal announced the act had been invoked by Gov. Kotek for the Elk Lane Fire on Monday morning as two task forces from Lincoln and Polk counties responded to the Elk Lane Fire after the region was hit by a massive lightning storm. The fire is estimated to be about 3,000 acres as of late Monday morning, according to the state fire marshal.

“I continue to be alarmed by how quickly this fire season has escalated,” Kotek said in a statement.

So far this wildfire season, the National Guard has been deployed, FEMA has approved seven grants for assistance in managing the fires, and has requested a Secretarial Disaster Declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help the agricultural industry recover. A statewide emergency has also been declared.

The Emergency Conflagration Act has also been activated for the following fires:

• Durkee Fire
• Battle Mountain Complex Fire
• Fires in Umatilla County
• Lone Rock Fire
• Falls Fire
• Cow Valley Fire
• Larch Creek Fire
• Darlene 3 Fire

More than 1.2 million acres have burned so far this year across Oregon, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. The largest fire remains the Durkee Fire in Baker County, which has burned nearly 294,000 acres, followed by the Battle Mountain Complex, which has burned nearly 180,000 acres and has resulted in evacuation levels being issued in Umatilla, Grant and Morrow counties.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as wildfire season continues.

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