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What began as a small fire on grassland just outside of Lonerock in Gilliam County has become one of the largest wildfires in Oregon's history. The Lonerock Fire has now burned more than 130,000 acres of grassland, pastures, timber, and structures – carving a swath of destruction through Gilliam, Wheeler, and Morrow counties. The fire has surpassed the Archie Creek Fire from 2020 and is Oregon's 20th largest wildfire. As of press time, the Lonerock Fire has burned 131,407 a...
The Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office says that the cause of the Lonerock Fire is still under investigation and would not comment on leads or theories. However, three reliable sources told The Times-Journal that the fire was started by a group of men riding four-wheelers and ATVs in high grasses outside of Lonerock on Saturday, July 13. Three sources, which have asked to remain anonymous, said that a group of men from out of state were visiting the area and were riding on...
Arlington is set for a big weekend as the Show N' Shine car show and A-Town Throw Down, 3 on 3 basketball tournament will be held at Earl Snell Park on Saturday, July 27. The weather is going to cooperate. According to the forecast, temperatures are set to cool this week and Arlington will have a high of 88 degrees on Saturday. This will make for ideal conditions for a car show and for basketball games. The Arlington Show N' Shine car show is one of the best in the region....
The Gilliam County Court surprised attendees at the July 17 court session in Arlington by awarding grant requests in full. During the June 26 court session, members of the Gilliam County Grants Committee recommended to partially fund operations grants to several non-profit organizations and the South Gilliam Co. Health District. The Gilliam Co. Operations Grant is one of several special grants available to non-profit organizations, special districts, and schools in the...
Some people are at their best when in a pinch. When the going got tough in the hours and days following the outbreak of the Lonerock Fire, dozens of men and women lept into action. In Lonerock, locals brought CATs and water tanks to save the town. With the South Gilliam Fire crew, volunteers responded quickly and helped stave off disaster. And even after fire crews arrived from around the country, these volunteers kept after it. There was no quit in these guys. The...
The Eastern Oregon Pioneers Association has canceled the annual Pioneer Picnic, which was scheduled for this Saturday, July 27. The annual event was established in 1900 by a group of pioneers and their descendants. Due to the wildfires in Wheeler County, organizers decided to cancel this year's picnic. Held at the Julia Henderson Pioneer Park in Wheeler County, the Pioneer Picnic is steeped in tradition and history. In its early years, the Pioneer Picnic was also a sleepover....
SPRAY, OR (JULY 19, 2024, 7:28 AM) - The Lonerock Fire continued to grow and remained unpredictable, as continually shifting winds hampered efforts to extinguish the blaze, which is now at 83,922 acres as of 7:28 AM on July 19. There have been reports of dozens of people evacuating in Wheeler County near Winlock and Kahler Basin - and many others who evacuated from Spray on Wednesday night. The good news is that the National Interagency Fire Center has increased containment...
The Wheeler County Sheriff's Office issued a Level 3 "Go Now" Evacuation for Spray at 8:13 PM. However there has been some conflicting information coming in with sources at the scene reportedly being told to "Stay Ready" at Level 2. Fire activity has intensified on the southern end of the #lonerockfire due to increased winds and fire weather. Erratic winds are pushing the fire in a southerly direction, moving it closer to Spray, Oregon. Wheeler County Sheriffs Office has...
SPRAY, OR - The Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office announced on Sunday, July 21, that they have created a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Spray. Oregon State Fire Marshal spokesman Steve Chapman said in a morning briefing that the operating base in Spray will allow for quicker response times. Chapman said that crews have been engaged in point-protection, which focuses preventative efforts on homes and structures and pushes the fire around structures. With erratic winds, the...
The Gilliam County Court will decide whether it should award grants in full or to partially fund requests from nonprofits and special districts at its meeting this Wednesday in Arlington. The Gilliam Co. Grants Committee has recommended significant cuts to requests from key service providers in the county. The Grants Committee recommended to partially fund operations grant requests from the South Gilliam Health District, Summit Springs Village, and the Condon Early Learning...
Gilliam County's plans to change economic development districts has been put on hold and will possibly not happen at all. Beginning in 2022, the Gilliam County Court worked to modify their economic development district, which was set at the state and federal level, to better serve the area. At the time, the Gilliam Court believed that the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) based out of The Dalles, would better represent the county and its efforts. MCEDD is a...
ODOT has announced that the new Rock Creek Bridge project has been pushed back until at least July 22. The announcement was made before the Lonerock Fire started and now, Highway 206 is a thoroughfare for firefighters. The new Rock Creek Bridge is expected to be a big project and will shut down the Condon-Heppner Highway for at least three weeks. In total, the project will take several months and will likely finish in mid to late November. Staging equipment has been brought...
Cooper Johnson, a 2020 graduate of Condon High School, has graduated from Oregon State University. Over the last 4 years, while attending college in Corvallis, he also participated in the Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). This spring, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force through the Flying Beavs ROTC program. He will report to his first...
LONEROCK, OR - A rapidly escalating grassland fire near the town of Lonerock, in Gilliam County, has necessitated significant emergency response efforts since its outbreak on Saturday, July 13. Initially spanning 4,200 acres, the Lonerock Fire surged to over 50,000 acres within a mere 24-hour period. In this short time, the Lonerock Fire became one of the largest uncontained fires on the West Coast. In response to the escalating threat, the Gilliam County Sheriff's Office...
The Dalles, OR (updated July 15, 2024) - Firefighters from the Oregon Department of Forestry's Central Oregon District, U.S. Forest Service, local fire districts and landowners have quickly responded to a wildfire in Wasco County. Firefighters are under initial attack and will continue operations into the night. The fire is currently burning with moderate-to-high spread, estimated at 1500+ acres in grass and timber fuel types at this time. Containment is at 0%. The Larch...
LONE ROCK, OR (4:40 PM July 14, 2024) — A fire in Gilliam County, Oregon has grown significantly this weekend and area residents near Lone Rock are under a Level 3 Evacuation Order from the Gilliam Co. Sheriff's Office. An Emergency Alert was sent out by Frontier Regional 911 at 3:58 PM on Sunday, July 14, urging local residents in the town of Lone Rock and those who live nearby to evacuate. The Memorial Hall in Condon is serving as an evacuation center and will have l...
CONDON, OR (11:45 AM, July 15, 2024) - A rapidly escalating grassland fire near the town of Lonerock, in Gilliam County, has necessitated significant emergency response efforts since its outbreak on Saturday, July 13. Initially spanning 4,200 acres, the fire surged to over 50,000 acres within a mere 24-hour period. In response to the escalating threat, the Gilliam County Sheriff's Office issued a Level 3 "Go Now" Evacuation order for the town of Lonerock on Sunday, July 14,...
The history of small towns in frontier communities is as rich if not richer than in larger towns and cities. Early inhabitants who moved West sacrificed everything and overcame incredible odds to carve out a new life and future. For pioneers in expansive rural areas, the challenges of settling and sustaining a town were significant. But today, preserving that history and its artifacts is a unique challenge that many tiny towns face. The town of Spray is a perfect example. In...
Grant Wilkins is preparing to join the Gilliam County Court as County Commissioner next week. Wilkins won the election for the position in May with more than 68% of the vote. Normally, Wilkins would start his term in January. But the seat for Gilliam Co. Commissioner has sat vacant since the special recall election ousted former Commissioner Pat Shannon on April 30. Judge Cris Patnode offered the appointment to Wilkins during the June 26 court session, but Wilkins asked for...
During the last county court meeting on June 26, a discussion about the county’s investments in childcare and early childhood education took place. Some members of the community questioned how the previous court could have spent $1.7 million on childcare in Condon. The court began to deliberate grant applications from the Condon ELC and the Arlington Daycare Center. A member of the grants committee said that there was concern about the amount of money being requested by the C...
Several summer camps for area youth have been put together by the Condon Arts Council, in collaboration with the North Central Education Service District (NCESD). The classes are funded by the 21st Century Learning Grant, a five-year grant that the NCESD was awarded – and by a grant from the Roundhouse Foundation, that the Condon Arts Council secured last fall. With the combined funds, the Condon Arts Council will hold four camps between July 8 and August 2nd for youth b...
A group gathered at the A-Town Station in Arlington to celebrate the anniversary of the Co-Starters class that brought them together. Pictured are (L-R): OFCC Board Member Diana Kirkham, OFCC Exec. Director Brittany Dark, Several entrepreneurs gathered at the A-Town Station last Wednesday to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the entrepreneurship class known as Co-Starters. Co-Starters is a product of the organization Reinventing Rural, which was founded by CEO Brad Attig....
The sounds pouring off the front porch of the Spray General Store last Friday were not of the traditional Western Country variety. Jenny Don't and the Spurs, a four-piece group that plays what they call, "Surf Western" or "Cow Punk" music, brought their unique sound to Spray. It was a real treat for the 80 people in attendance. The group, which has been performing together since 2012, has steadily grown its audience over the years. The band typically plays to several hundred...
FOSSIL, OR - Overnight, the town of Fossil will be transformed into a haven for bluegrass music lovers from all over the country. Starting Friday, July 5, the Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival will kick off its twenty-second year. The festival is known for bringing marquee talent to Oregon's smallest county seat, and this year will be no different. Headliners on Friday and Saturday will include Skillethead, a modern yet traditional five-piece band from Eastern Oregon that brin...
MORO, or — Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, celebrated the grand opening of its National Training Center (NTC) in Sherman County, Oregon on June 25. The NTC is a world-class facility located near Moro, where many of Avangrid’s operating wind and solar farms, and will serve as a centralized location to train and upskill technicians working across Avangrid’s onshore renewable energy portfolio. “It was a pleasur...
