2020 Oregon wildfires

The 2020 Oregon wildfire season was one of the most destructive on record in the state of Oregon. The season is a part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season. The fires killed at least 11 people, burned more than 1,000,000 acres (400,000 ha) of land, and destroyed thousands of homes.[2]

2020 Oregon wildfires
Smoke-filled skies over downtown Portland, viewed from southeast Portland, on September 9, 2020
Statistics
Total fires2,027[1]
Total area1,221,324 acres (494,252 ha)[1]
Buildings destroyed3,000+
Deaths11
Season
← 2019
2021 →
Map of 2020 Oregon wildfires
Drought intensity in the Pacific Northwest as of September 1, 2020
2020 Western U.S. wildfires
Multiple wildfires burning near the Pacific coast of the U.S. on September 9, 2020
Affected states
Background
Largest wildfire by state
  • Arizona - Bush (193,455 acres)
  • California - August Complex (1,032,648 acres)
  • Colorado - Cameron Peak (208,913 acres)
  • Nevada - Meadow Valley (59,265 acres)
  • New Mexico - Cub (25,950 acres)
  • Oregon - Santiam (402,274 acres)
  • Utah - East Fork (89,765 acres)
  • Washington - Pearl Hill (223,730 acres)

Timeline

The Oregon Department of Forestry declared fire season beginning on July 5, 2020, signaling the end of unregulated debris burning outdoors.[3]

A helicopter carries water over the Almeda Fire at its point of origin in Ashland, Oregon, on September 8, 2020.
A helicopter carries water over the Almeda Fire at its point of origin in Ashland, Oregon, on September 8, 2020.

In early September, unusually high winds and continued dry weather caused the rapid expansion of multiple wildfires in Oregon. Over 1,000,000 acres were burned, and about 40,000 people were evacuated, with about 500,000 people in evacuation warning areas. The cities of Phoenix, Talent, Detroit, and Gates in Oregon were substantially destroyed by the Almeda Drive and Santiam Fires respectively. State-wide, at least 7 people have been killed.[4][5][6] In the Almeda Fire area — between Ashland, Talent, and Phoenix — more than 2,800 structures were destroyed. Around the South Obenchain Fire, which stretched from Shady Cove nearly to Butte Falls, 153 structures were lost. Sheriff Sickler said that these numbers do not differentiate between homes, businesses, outbuildings, and other structures. Assessing the precise nature of those structures lost will fall to local teams in the days and weeks ahead.[7][8] Officials stated that the Almeda Drive Fire was human-caused.[8] On September 11, a man was arrested for arson, for allegedly starting a fire that destroyed multiple homes in Phoenix and merged with the Almeda Drive Fire.[9] A separate criminal investigation into the origin point of the Almeda Drive Fire in Ashland is ongoing.[9]

Causes
See also: Wildfires in the United States § Western U.S. wildfire trends

Through the end of July 2020, 90% of Oregon's wildfires had been caused by humans versus a yearly average of 70%, possibly because of increased outdoor recreation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

Rumors and theories

Rumors spread on social media that antifa activists were deliberately setting fires and preparing to loot property that was being evacuated. Some residents refused to evacuate based on the rumors, choosing to defend their homes from the alleged invasion. Authorities pleaded with residents to ignore the rumors.[11] One Facebook post shared thousands of times falsely stated, "KXL Radio in Portland reported today that Firefighters are now being shot at by suspected Antifa and BLM members."[12] QAnon followers participated in the misinformation, with one false claim that six antifa activists had been arrested for setting fires amplified by Q specifically.[13][14] There were also rumors that members of far-right groups had started some of the fires, though authorities labeled the claims as false, saying that people needed to question claims that they found on social media.[15]

Senator Jeff Merkley, (D-OR) decried President Donald Trump's comments blaming forest management for the fires as a "devastating lie.” Speaking on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Merkley blamed climate change for the fires.[16]

One of the major fires, the Almeda fire in Southern Oregon, was worsened by a second blaze that was allegedly the result of arson. The first origin point of the fire is still under active investigation, and arson is suspected there, as well.[17][18]

Several small brush fires in Portland that were quickly put out were also the result of arson by a suspect who was apprehended, released, and then started several more.[19]

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres, or produced significant structural damage or loss of life.

Name County Acres Start date Containment date Notes Ref
Neals HillHarney3,391August 5August 13Caused by lightning.[20][21]
FrogCrook4,020August 16August 31Caused by lightning.[22]
Green RidgeJefferson4,338August 16September 1Caused by lightning.[23]
Indian CreekMalheur48,128August 16September 16Unknown cause.[24]
P-515Jefferson4,607August 16November 13Caused by lightning; merged into the eastern portion of the combined Santiam Fire on September 11.[25][26]
LionsheadJefferson, Linn, Marion, Wasco204,469August 16November 13Caused by lightning; merged with the Beachie Creek Fire on September 8; the combined fires were briefly renamed Santiam Fire, 280 structures destroyed, 10 injuries.[27][28][26]
Beachie CreekClackamas, Linn, Marion193,573August 16October 28Unknown cause; merged with the Lionshead Fire on September 8, which were briefly named the Santiam Fire; 1,323 structures destroyed, 10 injuries, 5 fatalities.[28][26][29][30][31][32]
White RiverWasco17,442August 17November 13Caused by lightning, 1 structure destroyed, 2 injuries, 1 firefighter fatality.[33][34]
LaurelWheeler1,257August 19August 31Caused by lightning.[35]
Holiday FarmLane, Linn173,393September 7October 26Unknown cause, 768 structures destroyed, 6 injuries, 1 fatality.[36][37][38][32]
BrattainLake50,951September 7October 6Human-caused, 1 structure destroyed.[39][32]
Two Four TwoKlamath14,473September 7October 10Unknown cause, 48 structures destroyed.[40][32]
Echo Mountain ComplexLincoln2,552September 7September 21Unknown cause, 293 structures destroyed.[41][42]
Slater Josephine157,220September 8November 12Originally started in California then spread to Josephine County.[43][44]
Chehalem Mountain–Bald PeakWashington2,000September 8September 14Caused by campfire on private property.[45][46][47][48][49][50]
RiversideClackamas138,054September 8December 3Human-caused, 139 structures destroyed, 4 injuries.[51]
ThielsenDouglas9,975September 8November 16Unknown cause, 4 injuries.[52]
Almeda DriveJackson3,200September 8September 14Human-caused, suspected arson, 3,000+ structures destroyed, body found near origin of the fire, active crime scene investigation, 3 fatalities.[53][54][55][8][9][56][57][58]
South ObenchainJackson32,671September 8October 3Unknown cause, 89 structures destroyed.[59][60]
Archie CreekDouglas131,542September 8November 16Unknown cause, 111 structures destroyed, 10 injuries, 1 firefighter fatality.[61][62][63]
Leslie GulchMalheur5,147November 5November 16Human-caused.[32]

See also

References
  1. "Final ODF fire report for 2020 fire season". October 19, 2020. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  2. Newburger, Emma (September 12, 2020). "At least 33 dead as wildfires scorch millions of acres across Western U.S. — 'It is apocalyptic'". CNBC. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  3. "Oregon fire season opens statewide". Herald and News. July 5, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  4. Crombie, Noelle (September 9, 2020). "Wildfire cuts swath of destruction in southern Oregon; Phoenix and Talent 'pretty well devastated'". The Oregonian. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  5. Hauck, Grace (September 11, 2020). "'We have never seen this': 10% of Oregon forced to evacuate; death toll rises from wildfires across Western states". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  6. Brad Schmidt (September 11, 2020). "Oregon initially said 500,000 people had been evacuated because of wildfires. The numbers didn't add up -- and the state backtracked". oregonlive. Retrieved September 11, 2020. The number of Oregonians told to evacuate because of unprecedented wildfires is more than 40,000 – not the 500,000 residents initially and erroneously announced by Oregon's Office of Emergency Management, Gov. Kate Brown acknowledged Friday following publication of an analysis by The Oregonian/OregonLive showing the true number of evacuations to be far lower.
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  8. Benda, David. "Southern Oregon wildfires update: 700-plus homes, businesses destroyed as officials' investigate fire's cause", Redding Record Searchlight. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
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  10. Samayoa, Monica (August 3, 2020). "Oregon's human-caused wildfires are increasing and COVID-19 is getting the blame". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  11. Healy, Jack; Baker, Mike (September 11, 2020). "In Oregon, a Year of Political Tumult Extends to Devastating Wildfires" – via NYTimes.com.
  12. "PolitiFact - Fact-checking misinformation about firefighters, antifa in Portland". @politifact.
  13. O'Sullivan, Donie; Toropin, Konstantin (September 11, 2020). "QAnon fans spread fake claims about real fires in Oregon". CNN.
  14. "West Coast officials are already fighting wildfires. Now they're fighting misinformation, too". NBC News. September 11, 2020.
  15. "Wildfires spawn false rumors blaming far right, far left for setting them". Los Angeles Times. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
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  60. "This will be the final release from Northeast WA IMT 2. It has been an honor to serve your wonderful community, and we wish each one of you a safe recovery". Facebook. October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
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