Cow Valley Fire burning in Malheur County, northwest of Vale

Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on the morning of July 12, 2024, in response to a wildfire in Malheur County: the Cow Valley Fire. The resources necessary for protecting life and property from the Cow Valley Fire are beyond local capabilities. Assistance with life, safety, and structural fire protection was requested by the Malheur County Fire Defense Board and the state fire marshal concurred with that request.

“Wildfire season is in full swing with fires active across Oregon and concerning weather conditions for this upcoming weekend,” Governor Kotek said. “I am authorizing an emergency conflagration to allow additional resources to fight the Cow Valley Fire in Malheur County. The majority of our state’s wildfires are human-caused. I urge all Oregonians to take extreme precautions, particularly with lightning in the forecast for this weekend. It is incumbent on all of us to keep Oregon green and protect our communities.”

A link to Executive Order 24-12 can be found here.

Following ORS 476.510-476.610, Governor Kotek determined that a threat to life, safety, and property exists due to the fire, and the threat exceeds the firefighting capabilities of local firefighting personnel and equipment. The governor’s declaration cleared the way for the state fire marshal to mobilize resources through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System to support local fire service agencies on scene. This conflagration is declared only for the Cow Valley Fire threatening structures in Malheur County.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Incident Management Team was mobilized. Along with the federal partners, our rangeland fire protective associations and local responding agencies, two structural task forces were mobilized Thursday night through the agency’s Immediate Response tool. Two more task forces from Lane and Marion counties were mobilized. The Red Incident Management Team will be in unified command with Northwest Team 6, a federal complex incident management team.

For the latest on evacuations, please follow the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office.