PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Resources from across the state are pooling together to fight the Miller Road Fire from the ground and air, while also helping anyone displaced.
Several homes remain under Level 3 evacuation orders as the Miller Road-Dodge Fire continues to grow. At the Dufur School, resources are already in place — whether you need a cot to sleep on or a hot meal while figuring out your next move.
More than 100 firefighters from across Oregon are stepping up as hot, dry weather and winds fuel the wildfire quickly spreading in Wasco County.
“We’ve got air assets, we have firefighters and hand crews on the ground and we’re doing everything we can to contain and mop up what we can so that we don’t have reburn,” said Sandy Roberts with the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The fire sparked on Tuesday, quickly going from 1,000 acres to more than 10,500, with that number expected to grow. After an Emergency Conflagration Act was issued by Governor Brown with federal funds coming from FEMA to fight the fire, the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office says every resource helps.
“It’s really important to get additional resources,” said Roberts. “Local areas can only handle an emergency with the amount of resources they have and if you have a smaller number of resources, you need help.”
At Dufur School, just north of the fire that started in Juniper Flats, the American Red Cross has an evacuation site ready to go. Additionally, the Dalles Riders Club is taking in horses, while the county fairgrounds are welcoming horses and livestock.
“As long as this shelter is open, we will have cots available for people to sleep in,” said Jim Fister, an American Red Cross volunteer. “We will also be providing some basic meal service, as well as some snacks. We want people to feel comfortable as they’re displaced.”
As homes along Victor Road, Walters Road North, and south of 216 to Highway 197 are at a Level 3 ‘get out now’ advisory and many more communities preparing for evacuation orders, the Red Cross says anything they can do to help people in need makes a difference.
Some of the Level 2 “be prepared” communities include the east side of 197 and all of Oak Spring Road to 216, including Tygh Valley, Tygh Valley Road, Fred Ashley Road, Davidson Grade Road and the community of Maupin along both sides of the Deschutes River.
“When the opportunity is there for people to get just a little sense of home, I think that’s really important for them in time of a disaster,” said Fister.
Back at the fire crews’ base camp at the Wasco County fairgrounds, even locals are stepping up to help the firefighters battling this wildfire — from food to chiropractor services.
“Anytime we respond in the state of Oregon, it is overwhelming, the support we get,” said Roberts.
Fire officials are also urging anyone in the area to sign up for Everbridge alerts through the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office website, so they can be notified instantly if they’re placed in an evacuation level. People who need assistance registering for the alerts can call the Wasco County Communications Manager at 541-506-2760.