DAYVILLE — More resources were on the way Friday, Sept. 6, to combat the Rail Ridge Fire.

Gov. Tina Kotek early Friday afternoon invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for both the Rail Ridge Fire in Grant and Crook counties and the Shoe Fly Fire in Wheeler County, according to a news release from the Oregon State Fire Marshal.

The act allows the governor to free up state resources when she determines there is a threat to life, safety or property from fire that exceeds the capabilities of local firefighting personnel.

Armed with the governor’s authorization, the Oregon State Fire Marshal is sending its Blue Incident Management Team to take joint command of the Rail Ridge Fire along with California Complex Interagency Incident Management Team 10, which took charge of the fire at 7 a.m. Friday.

There were 258 firefighters assigned to the blaze Friday morning. A previous report erroneously said 500 firefighters were working on the blaze.

The state agency is also sending several task forces to help fight the fire. Oregon State Fire Marshal task forces specialize in structure protection during wildfires, something wildland firefighters typically are not trained to do.

Earlier this week, the OSFM sent two task forces to the fire from Central Oregon and Marion County under its immediate response authority. Three more task forces were expected to join them by Friday evening, the news release said.

The agency also sent two task forces from Clackamas and Multnomah counties to the Shoe Fly Fire earlier this week, according to the release. Elements of the Blue Incident Management Team will work with the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team, which is providing structural protection support, on that fire.

The governor’s declarations mark the 15th and 16th times the Emergency Conflagration Act has been invoked this summer.

Paving the way for the Rail Ridge Fire declaration was a declaration issued shortly after noon on Friday by the Grant County Court, which met in emergency session. 

The declaration noted that multiple wildfires are threatening the county and surpassing the capacity of local firefighting resources. The court called on the governor to declare a local disaster and state of emergency. It also asked U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to expedite assistance to local agricultural industries and livestock producers.

The primary aim of the declaration was to pave the way for more firefighters to attack the Rail Ridge Fire.

“It helps bring additional resources into the county,” Commissioner Jim Hamsher explained.

“Right now I think they’re very limited on the number of assets that have come from the (Willamette) Valley in terms of pumpers and fire trucks,” said County Judge Scott Myers, adding that the county was especially in need of crews to protect buildings threatened by the fire.

“Wildland firefighters, for the most part, cannot fight structure fires.”

The Rail Ridge Fire, burning roughly 7 miles south of Dayville, started on Monday, Sept. 2, after a lightning storm moved through the area. It quickly merged with several other lightning-sparked fires and spread rapidly. By early Friday it had burned an estimated 107,000 acres and was 3% contained.

The Shoe Fly Fire, which also started Monday, is burning 6 miles northeast of Mitchell. It has grown to an estimated 24,000 acres and is 6% contained, with 752 personnel assigned to fight the flames.