Multiple active wildfires in Umatilla County, Oregon, are encroaching on a local Native American reservation to the point that an emergency was declared this week.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) board of trustees issued a state of emergency
declaration on July 22.
“The CTUIR is in imminent risk of fire danger related to the Hagen Fire near the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s (UIR) eastern boundary on Bingham Road as well as a public health emergency related to persistent and continuous poor air quality,” tribal officials said in a July 23
press release.Several fires in the area were sparked, but the main threat is the Hagen Fire, which was ignited by lightning strikes during dry thunderstorms in the Umatilla National Forest and has expanded to more than 8,600 acres.
The Northwest Coordination Center’s Predictive Services blamed a lack of snow on the Blue Mountains this winter for contributing to current drought conditions that are fueling fires.
“Fire activity is already mirroring conditions normally not seen until later in the season,” officials said in a
statement. “Recent lightning has been highly efficient, and new starts have been exhibiting rapid fire growth.”
The emergency declaration is driven by local resources exceeding capacity and being unable to manage additional fire threats without outside assistance.
The CTUIR emergency declaration, which will remain in effect until conditions improve, activates the CTUIR Emergency Management Plan and will be overseen by the CTUIR's Office of the Executive Director.
The current CTUIR executive director is Kimberly Hughes.
“The CTUIR is leaving firefighting aspects to local, state and federal entities,” CTUIR Emergency Management officials said in the statement.
An emergency shelter with clean air is in operation at Sunridge Middle School in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Human Services, Umatilla County Public Health, American Red Cross and Umatilla County Emergency Management.
The Umatilla Sheriff’s Office announced a community meeting about the Hagen fire on their Facebook
page that is scheduled to take place on July 24 at 6 p.m. at the Weston-McEwen High School in Athena.
The CTUIR, spanning the Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla tribes, was formed under an 1855 treaty enabling the Native Americans to adopt a constitutional form of government to protect, preserve and enhance their rights under federal law.
The Crook County Board of Commissioners in Oregon similarly enacted
a state of emergency on July 22 following lightning strikes during the week of July 13 that set off multiple fires in Crook and neighboring counties.
The blazes inside Crook County are the Brewer fire, the Coyote fire, and the Henry fire.
