Local governments to sign MOU on new Umatilla River bridge | REGION A3
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022
146th Year, No. 111
WINNER OF THE 2022 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
OREGON WILDFIRES
Largest
wildfi re
burning in
Wallowa
County
$1.50
MILTON-FREEWATER
FIRE GUTS FOUR MOBILE HOMES
Double Creek reaches
almost 43,700 acres
Monday; more
than 400 personnel
fi ghting the blaze
By JAYSON JACOBY
Baker City Herald
BAKER CITY — Additional
resources continued to arrive on
Sunday, Sept. 4, including task
forces from the Oregon Offi ce of the
State Fire Marshal, to help battle the
both the Double Creek and Eagle
Cap Wilderness fi res.
The Double Creek Fire in
Wallowa County is the largest wild-
fi re burning in Oregon.
The fire has now burned
43,668 acres, according to the
Sept. 5 update, up from the more
than 37,800 acres reported on
Sept. 4. The blaze is still 0%
contained, and there are more than
400 personnel assigned to fi ght the
fi re.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
invoked the Emergency Confl agra-
tion Act on Sept. 3 in response to the
Double Creek Fire.
Strong winds, hot tempera-
tures and humidity that dipped into
single digits in places Sept. 3 also
enabled two lighting-caused fi res in
the Eagle Cap Wilderness to grow
substantially.
According to a press release
from the Type 1 overhead team
that’s managing the Double Creek
and the wilderness fi res, task forces
from the State Fire Marshal’s offi ce
initiated structure protection on the
Double Creek Fire, cleared brush
and increased defensible space
around homes along the Freezeout
and Imnaha roads.
Firefi ghters secured a private
inholding (Section 36) along Griz-
zly Ridge between Buck Point and
Pumpkin Creek. Dozers cleared
vegetation along the power line in
the Imnaha River corridor. All the
known hunting parties were safely
evacuated from the area.
According to a release from the
governor’s offi ce, the declaration
allows the Offi ce of the State Fire
Marshal to take unifi ed command
immediately. Wallowa County
Sheriff Joel Fish has issued Level
3, Level 2 and Level 1 evacuation
orders for homes near the fi re.
Firefighters on Sept. 5 were
scouting for additional options on
the northern and southern portions
of the fi re. Crews will mop up and
patrol around structures along
See Wildfi re, Page A10
Phil Wright/East Oregonian
From left, Manuel Lopez, his daughter Juliet Lopez, wife Catalina Deloera and older daughter Giselle Lopez look Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, for
valuables in the remains of their mobile home after a fi re the night of Sept. 3 in Milton-Freewater burned through their home and three others.
Families, occupants face
immediate needs, with
housing at top of the list
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
ILTON-FREEWATER — Fire
ravaged four trailer homes Satur-
day, Sept. 3, in Milton-Freewater,
leaving families and occupants
homeless and with only the clothes
on their backs.
Residents at the trailer park at 1501 N. Eliz-
abeth St. just north of the Milton-Freewater
city limits said the fi re swept through four
trailers and may have claimed the lives of a
few pets and some poultry, but everyone who
was in the homes escaped unharmed.
The Lopez family sifted through the black-
ened, melted and twisted debris of their home’s
remains Sept. 5 searching for valuables. Oldest
daughter Giselle Lopez said the fi re happened
around 9:40 p.m.
“We heard a pop,” she said, but recently
these sounds became more common, so it did
not raise an alarm.
Lopez and her family — younger sister
Juliet, father Manuel and mother Catalina
Deloera — were out in the living room, she
said, but her brother, Richard, was going to bed
M
Andrew Cutler/East Oregonian
A fi re erupted Saturday night, Sept. 3, 2022, at this mobile home park in Milton-Freewater,
where some residents Sept. 5 returned to sift through the remains in search of valuables.
early for work the next day. He then glanced
out his bedroom window.
“He just screamed ‘fi re,’” Lopez said. “And
chaos broke out.”
The trailer just north of theirs was blazing
and the tree overhead was in fl ames. Lopez
said they suspected the fi re climbed the tree
and spread to their shed’s roof and beyond.
See M-F fi re, Page A10
‘Labor Day Spectacular’ starts its engines
4,000 gather for
annual event at
Hermiston Raceway
By DAKOTA
CASTETS-DIDIER
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — With a ground
trembling roar, cars rocketed past a
packed house Saturday, Sept. 3, on
the fi rst day of Hermiston Raceway’s
Labor Day Spectacular.
“Labor Day Spectacular is one of
our signature events for the season,
it brings tons of competitors from all
over the northwest, some from Utah.”
Lacy Walden said.
She, her brother Jody, and her
father Greg Walden all participate
in running the Hermiston Raceway,
which has been in operation since
1967 and has seen its share of racing
royalty battle it out on their pavement.
“Tom Sneeva, Indianapolis
500 winner, raced here,” Greg
Walden said. “Hershel McGriff
also raced here.”
Dakota Castets-Didier/East Oregonian
See Races, Page A10
Cars of the modifi ed class enter the grandstand straight after a race restart Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, at the
Hermiston Raceway in Hermiston. Donovan Barr in car No. 65 went on to win.