Hermiston wildfire again under local management

Published 6:30 pm Sunday, July 6, 2025

Cold Springs Fire grew to almost 2,500 acres, burned one home, involved 81 personnel

HERMISTON — The fast-moving wildfire that sparked the afternoon of July 2 north of Hermiston stood at near full containment two days later, and Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 resumed management of the fire the morning of July 5.

Hot and dry conditions and strong winds July 2 helped what would become the Cold Springs Fire grow to 1,000 acres its first day, according to the fire district.

The blaze prompted Gov. Tina Kotek that evening to invoke the Emergency Conflagration Act, allowing the Oregon State Fire Marshal to mobilize resources through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System to support the local firefighting agencies at the scene.

According to information from the governor’s office, this was the third time Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act this wildfire season.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal initially sent help through immediate response July 3, with two structural task forces from Clackamas and Washington counties and air support through agreements with the Oregon Department of Forestry. To provide additional help, the agency mobilized its Green Incident Management Team and task forces from Yamhill and Linn counties. The OSFM Green Team took command of the fire July 3 at 9 a.m.

The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office issued level 1, 2, and 3 evacuations during the blaze, which the Oregon State Fire Marshal the afternoon of July 4 reported was 98% contained and stood just shy of 2,500 acres.

Saving kittens

The fire began around 2 p.m. July 2, when temperatures reached 93 for the area and winds gusted at 35 mph.

Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 firefighters were the first to take on the fast-moving fire that destroyed a home. According to a post on the official Cold Springs Fire Facebook page, the homeowner was trapped while trying to rescue several kittens and their mother.

Fire crews reached the homeowner just in time and took the person to safety, the post stated, but crews were not able to retrieve the animals.

The Washington County Task Force and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue firefighters on a heavy brush unit were assigned to the scene. They searched the area for the kittens and found one had died, one suffered burns to its paws and face and two were unharmed.

“The injured kitten was taken to a vet and is now recovering well,” according to a post. “The grateful owner decided on a fitting name for the brave little survivor: ‘Smokey.’”

Initial reports of the fire threatening numerous structures prompted the state fire marshal to send four task forces and an incident management team to help extinguish the blaze.

“One home was lost, but firefighters successfully saved several other residences and a barn through aggressive direct structure protection,” according to the state fire marshal’s update.

Fires ramp up in rural Oregon

The Oregon Department of Forestry on July 3 reported its Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon firefighters responded to more than 100 new fire starts, lightning and human-caused. Firefighting crews contained most of the fires to an average of about half an acre.

ODF firefighters and resources June 30 to July 3 from Eugene to the California border west of the Cascades responded to 10 lightning-caused fires and 43 human-caused fires, And ODF firefighters and resources from the Klamath-Lake, Central Oregon and Northeast Oregon districts responded to more than 65 new fire starts, most of which lighting set off.

Coordination and local help

The Cold Springs Fire “was a fast-moving, wind-driven fire with homes immediately at risk,” according to OSFM Deputy Chief Travis Medema. “The quick response and strong coordination between local firefighters, landowners and state partners prevented further structural loss and got us to a strong containment position overnight. It’s already proving to be a busy fire season — this kind of coordination makes all the difference to save lives and protect property.”

Local landowners used heavy equipment and tractors to establish control lines and assist with containment efforts, according to the state fire marshal, which was a key to combating the fire.

Firefighting crews by July 4 extinguished hotspots and reinforced containment lines. The OSFM also reported a team “conducted a thorough perimeter assessment to refine the fire’s mapped boundary and evaluate containment progress.” That led to the burn covering 2,498 acres at 98% containment.

According to the OSFM, 81 personnel July 3 were involved in quelling the Cold Springs Fire, but improved weather conditions and the outstanding work of fire personnel” allowed a phased demobilization, with the task forces from Washington and Clackamas returning to their homes the morning of July 4.

The structural task forces from Yamhill and Linn counties remained on scene to support mop up work and monitor for residual heat. The Oregon State Fire Marshal reported those two task forces and the Green Incident Management Team departed the morning of July 5, and Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 resumed management of the fire.