On Thursday, June 1, afternoon, as firefighters continue to battle a brushfire near Beavercreek, authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders. Those within a half-mile of the fire have been issued a level one evacuation order, while those within a quarter-mile have been issued a level two order, according to the responding crews.
Residents at the “Be Ready” level should take precautions and keep themselves informed. Those living in the level two range, however, are advised to “Be Set,” or to be prepared to leave their homes at a moment’s notice.
Clackamas Fire firefighters and the Oregon Department of Forestry reported that the fire has burned 30 acres and is currently 0% containment. As the region enters its 18th day of dry conditions, the fire occurs at a time when the risk of wildfires is at its highest.
You can see a tweet for the confirmation of the news-
Clackamas Fire, along with ODF, Colton Fire, and Clackamas Fire’s Crew 30 are working on extinguishing a brush fire in Beavercreek. Air support has been called in as well to help get a quick handle on what is estimated to be a 30 acre fire. pic.twitter.com/DimWhV1LT6
— Clackamas Fire (@clackamasfire) June 2, 2023
Clackamas Fire spokesman Izak Hamilton said that this blaze was the largest of several that their teams had attended to today. “Today we actually had a couple of calls for some brush fires that were getting a little bit out of control,” said Hamilton.
“This is the second one, and as you can see with all the resources we have around us, it grew faster than we were expecting it to grow.” After starting in the woods between upper and lower Highland Road, Hamilton said the blaze has expanded to the scale of the McIver State Park fire of 2022.
For the recent spate of wildfires, “we have absolutely some great resources for jumping on top of Wildfires,” Hamilton said. “The Oregon Department of Forestry is here, and they’re our number one partner for getting air resources,…hand crews, and other resources available just to get a jump on this.”
Watch here: Level 2 ‘Be Set’ evacuation issued as crews battle brush fire in Beavercreek-
According to Hamilton, their teams feel prepared for wildfires since they are quick to respond, have access to additional resources, and have expertise in fighting wildfires after three years.
“This is something that we’re not going to get rid of anytime soon. And so with every season that comes we try to be more and more prepared, and this time, not that you can ever be perfectly prepared, but we feel pretty good about this one,” he said.
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Clackamas Fire reports that they are unsure of the cause of the fire but that investigators are working to find out. The Beavercreek fire demonstrates that wildfires can start and spread even when conditions are not favorable for them.
Later this weekend, the risk of wildfires in western Washington and west central Oregon is forecast to return to “normal” levels.
