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State official declares statewide emergency as Aqua Butte fire grows
Summary
A state agency official declared a statewide emergency, said Aqua Butte has burned about 27,000 acres with roughly 5% containment, and described a statewide, multi‑agency response with federal aid and mutual‑aid crews.
A state agency official declared a statewide emergency and described a full‑scale response to wildfires in Central Oregon, saying the decision gives officials flexibility to move resources and obligations across the state.
The official said the Aqua Butte fire "now stands at 27,000 acres. Containment is around 5%." They said more than 1,100 firefighters are assigned and that the incident is the nation’s top priority, allowing use of out‑of‑state and international crews. "We have every resource across the state," the agency official said, urging residents to follow evacuation notices and sign up for alerts.
Asked about the National Guard, the official said the Guard’s medevac unit is supporting Pebbleton but that Guard crews had not been used for initial attack. They also told reporters that the legislature has emergency allocations and that the emergency declaration will let officials act with more flexibility before the emergency board meets in September.
Officials also warned the season will be costly and said the state is pursuing federal cost sharing where available. The briefing closed with a request for residents to avoid open burning and take household steps—clearing gutters, maintaining evacuation plans—to reduce new ignitions and protect firefighters’ capacity.
