Oregon lifts animal import requirements as NW wildfires gain momentum

West of the McKinney fire, the Yeti and Alex fires have also burned 4,626 acres in Siskiyou County, prompting additional evacuations. 

The Oregon Department of Agriculture will provide an emergency exemption for any livestock entering the state, so long as they are coming from an area under level 1, 2 or 3 wildfire evacuation orders. Exemptions will remain in place through Sept. 30.

To qualify, farmers and ranchers must notify the Oregon state veterinarian by phone or email within 72 hours after entry with the following information:

• Complete physical address of origin where animals are being evacuated from.

• Name and phone number of owner of animals. 

• Complete physical address of location in Oregon where animals are being evacuated to.

• Name and phone number of contact for animals while in Oregon.

• Number and species of animals evacuated to Oregon.

The Oregon state veterinarian can be reached at 503-986-4680 or ahforms@oda.oregon.gov.

Animals evacuated to Oregon must return to their state of origin within 30 days. If that is not possible, the Oregon state veterinarian must be notified by phone prior to the 30th day. 

Hot, dry and windy weather has accelerated the spread of wildfires across the Northwest. In central Washington, the Vantage Highway fire has ballooned to 26,490 acres with 21% containment east of Ellensburg.

The Cow Canyon fire, 1 mile northeast of Wenas, Wash., is 1,500 acres and threatening about 50 homes, according to Yakima County Emergency Management.

Large fires in Idaho include the Payette Wilderness, Wolf Fang and Woodtick blazes, burning a combined 5,900 acres of rugged, mountainous terrain. The Woodtick Fire has triggered immediate evacuations for residents at Camas Creek in Lemhi County.

Oregon itself is also seeing an uptick of wildfire activity, with Gov. Kate Brown invoking the Emergency Conflagration Act to battle the 10,500-acre Miller Road fire in Wasco County. Evacuation orders are in effect, and one home has been destroyed.

Other fires in Oregon include the 1,093-acre Windigo fire and 125-acre Potter fire, both burning in the Umpqua National Forest, and the 248-acre Beech fire in Grant County.

The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise has set its fire preparedness level at 3 out of 5, meaning wildfire activity is now ongoing through about a quarter of the country.