A crew made up of firefighters from Lincoln, Linn and Tillamook Counties is headed to the East Evans Creek Fire near Medford.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal requested the group, known as Strike Force Seven, to report to the fire, which includes crew from North Lincoln, Depoe Bay, Albany, Harrisburg and Netarts-Oceanside fire departments.
"We may end up seeing some extra work, some overtime and maybe long hours, but we always make sure we backfill those vacancies so we don’t necessarily see a drawdown of resources here locally," said Depoe Bay Fire Chief Tom Jackson.
He said it’s common for fire departments to send assistance for large fires.
“We always want to be out there to help our neighbors in Oregon because you never know when we’ll see the day that we require that same help,” he said. “Echo Mountain was a perfect example of that.”
The Echo Mountain Complex Fire was one of the 2020 Labor Day fires. It burned 2,500 acres north of Lincoln City, destroying nearly 300 homes.
Each department is sending a Type 1 engine, which Jackson said is the style of firetruck commonly seen in cities and towns.
As of July 16, the East Evans Creek Fire had burned nearly 12,000 acres and prompted immediate evacuation notices for nearly 600 people, with an additional 7,400 under “Be Ready” or “Be Set” evacuation warnings.
