The Clackamas County Board of Commissioners declared a state of an emergency Tuesday over four active wildfires that began Monday and continue to rage through areas of the county.
High winds and dry air mass have caused several wildfires in Clackamas County as well as a public safety shut-off by Portland General Electric along the U.S. 26 Mount Hood corridor.
The fires pose a likely threat for “extensive damage to life and property,” the commissioners’ emergency declaration states.
Currently, there are four active wildfires in Clackamas County that have resulted in evacuations: Redland and Potter Road in Oregon City; Unger Road in Colton; Wilhoit and Bird Road in Molalla; and the Beachie Creek Fire in the Santiam Canyon, which resulted in an evacuation of the Job Corps at Ripplebrook in the Mount Hood National Forest.
According to Clackamas Fire, there were as many as 15 fire-related incidents underway in the county as of 3:15 p.m., some of them small incidents requiring only one apparatus and others with more than 20 units and vehicles on the scene and hard at work.
See here for a live map of evacuation areas in Clackamas County.
This declaration allows Clackamas County officials to request resources from external agencies and organizations, evacuate individuals, barricade roads and redirect funds for emergency use.
For more information, visit clackamas.us/wildfires.
The Canby Fire District is working the fire line near Colton, according to a Facebook post from Mayor Brian Hodson Tuesday evening. CFD crews worked through the night, saving 28 homes in that area, he said.
The fire between Estacada and Molalla is “fierce” right now, according to reports from the front line.
“I asked Chief Davis what we could do and his response was to pray for those that have evacuated and those that have lost their homes,” Hodson said. “Please take a moment and pray for the firefighters and the families in harm’s way.”