Level 3 ‘Go Now’ evacuations ordered after Town Gulch Fire grows ‘significantly’ in Baker County
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Evacuation orders have been made in Baker County, Oregon after the Town Gulch Fire grew “significantly” on Tuesday.
Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the fire in part to help redirect state resources to help fight it. The timber-burning fire is proving difficult as it crosses steep, rocky landscapes as temperatures remain in the mid-90s, the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office said in a release.
“As the Oregon fire season continues, we face another fire in tough terrain and conditions,” Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “Our teams are working hard to protect structures, doing their best to keep fires away from communities. We are asking everyone to stay vigilant to prevent sparking a wildfire.”
Officials said the fire sparked Monday eight miles northwest of Richland and has been steadily growing ever since. It began to threaten structures on Tuesday, prompting the conflagration act and OFSM to mobilize its Blue Incident Management Team and four structural task forces.
The Baker County Sheriff’s Office announced Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations at the following areas:
Level 3 (GO NOW): now includes the area north of Sparta Lane and the Idaho Power line, east of Shanghai Creek and Sparta Butte Road and the 7735 Road that runs north and south, south of Fizz Spring and McBride Campground, and west of the 77 Road.
Level 2 (BE SET): south of Dempsey Creek, Basin Creek, Spring Creek, and Fuller Creek. West of the forest boundary line near Carson and Halfway, north of New Bridge and Thorn Gulch, east of Tackle Gulch and Gem Mine Road.
Level 1 (BE READY): includes New Bridge, in the Halfway area from the forest boundary line down to western edge of Halfway to Carson.
Officials are encouraging residents to sign up for emergency notifications via this website. The public is also encouraged to do their part to prevent wildfires whenever possible.
The cause of Town Gulch Fire and its exact size is not currently known.
This is a developing story. KOIN 6 News will update this article if more information becomes available.
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