PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon Department of Forestry and Estacada Rural Fire District investigators are actively investigating the cause and origin of the Milo McIver State Park Fire, which ignited near Estacada on Sept. 9, during a highly publicized period of extreme fire weather that included a multitude of warnings from fire officials.
The 30-acre blaze forced hundreds of people to temporarily evacuate their homes. One home and one barn were ultimately destroyed by the fire. Officials said no one was hurt by the fire. However, one firefighter was hospitalized after suffering a medical emergency while battling the fire.
“The timeline for completing an investigation varies depending on the complexity of a fire, the availability of people for interviews, and the time it takes to analyze the collected information,” the Oregon Department of Forestry announced today. “The Department of Forestry investigates all wildland fires that occur on or threaten its protected lands to determine cause, responsible party and other information pertinent to the needs of the Department.”
If someone is determined to be responsible for a fire, they will be held financially responsible for all firefighting costs, the ODF said. The financial responsibility can include costs accrued by commanding agencies in each affected fire jurisdiction. For the McIver Park Fire, this includes the ODF and the Estacada Rural Fire District.
Firefighters continue to perform mop-up work on the fire, including extinguishing smoldering fuels and removing dead or hazardous trees. The fire agencies anticipate that the investigation will be completed by mid-November.
