A four-person Philomath Fire and Rescue task force is on the front lines of the East Evans Creek Fire in Jackson County on a mission to protect homes and structures as the wildfire continues to grow.
The crew — Operations Chief Dan Eddy, Volunteer Lt. Paula Anderson, Volunteer Firefighter Jayden Lindberg and Volunteer Firefighter Will Beede — deployed on the morning of July 14, according to Philomath Fire and Rescue Chief Chancy Ferguson.
Eddy is serving as task force leader and commanding officer. The rest of the crew is operating Heavy Brush Engine 264, a rig built to protect structures in the wildland-urban interface, with Anderson serving as engine boss, Lindberg as apparatus operator and Beede as firefighter.
The resources were requested as part of a Benton County task force through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System’s conflagration act, Ferguson said.
The crew is assigned to structure protection, typically covering a specific geographic area such as a rural road or subdivision. Ferguson said a task force carries enough equipment to function as a standalone resource for its assigned area.
“The crew arrived at around 5 p.m. (Tuesday) and was placed immediately to the line protecting structures that were imminently threatened,” Ferguson said.
The crew came off duty at 8 a.m. Thursday and will likely be assigned to night shifts for the remainder of the deployment, according to Ferguson.
A standard deployment can last up to 14 days and crews can be extended to 21 days under emergency circumstances, Ferguson said.
The East Evans Creek Fire had grown to an estimated 11,551 acres and was 5% contained as of a July 16 update from the Oregon Department of Forestry, adding 3,708 acres since July 15. More than 1,650 people are now fighting the blaze, an increase of 309 firefighters over the previous day.
Crews spent the night controlling new spot fires and reinforcing existing fire lines with new spots emerging on the fire’s southern and eastern sides. The fire, burning 14 miles northeast of Rogue River, ignited July 10 after a vehicle struck a power pole and set nearby dry vegetation on fire. Evacuation orders at levels 1, 2 and 3 remained in place for zones across Jackson County.
Ferguson said maintaining coverage in Philomath remains the department’s first priority during deployments like this one.
“When crews deploy, remaining personnel step in to fill any gaps and ensure the district remains covered,” he said.
Ferguson added that the state reimburses overtime costs tied to the deployment, including pay for both the deployed members and the staff backfilling their shifts.
