Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill answers questions at the hazardous waste receiving station. For more of Gibson’s photos, visit columbiagorgenews.com. Flora Gibson photo
ROWENA — State-funded crews made steady progress cleaning up debris left by the Rowena Fire last week, and more residents have joined a lawsuit against railroad company Union Pacific for allegedly sparking the blaze.
Led by Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), cleanup began on July 14, and the contractors, Northwest Firefighters Environmental, have completed phase one on all 60 properties that signed up for the no-cost service, apart from a few with challenging circumstances. As Columbia Gorge News previously reported, the first phase involves discarding hazardous household waste, including things like car batteries, paint and used oil, with the removal of all other debris, such as scrap metal and ash, happening during phase two.
“We want to get this done as quickly as we can,” said Bryn Thoms, DEQ’s on-site coordinator. “We want to get people back to their properties — to safe properties. They’ve got to rebuild, and that’s going to take a lot more work than just this right now, and a lot more time.”
The Rowena Fire burned for nearly two weeks in mid-June, igniting near milepost 78 along Interstate-84, quickly cresting Sevenmile Hill and continuing east toward The Dalles’ outskirts. A total of 825 people had to evacuate the fire, which blackened 3,700 acres, according to DEQ’s public affairs specialist.
“This is the worst incident that I’ve ever experienced,” said Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill, who’s served the county for nearly 24 years. “It was the fastest and hottest burning fire that I’ve ever been involved with.”
Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill answers questions at the hazardous waste receiving station. For more of Gibson’s photos, visit columbiagorgenews.com. Flora Gibson photo
The fire destroyed 61 residences and 91 outbuildings, according to Wasco County Public Information Officer Stephanie Krell. DEQ is strongly encouraging all those impacted to grant right of entry by visiting bit.ly/rowena-fire-recovery because of the health risks involved, though it’s not required.
Latecomers could delay the process, but DEQ has not set a deadline to sign up yet, and while not preferred, Krell noted the two phases can occur simultaneously. Once cleared, residents will have one or two weeks to retrieve any surviving personal items and valuables prior to the longer second phase.
“It could be four weeks, maybe two months,” Thoms said of phase two. “It’s really hard to say. That’s a little more involved because you are removing material, you’re getting data, you’re collecting confirmation sample results and all that kind of stuff.”
Initial air quality tests by DEQ detected no trace of lead, a probable human carcinogen, or asbestos, a known carcinogen common in older insulation. Monitoring will continue throughout, and as bulldozers scrape away contaminated ash during phase two, DEQ will test the ground for several heavy metals. Another soil scrape will be necessary if individual property results are higher than background concentrations, but if not, residents can return and start rebuilding.
Although the power is on, partial pressure loss during the fire may have allowed harmful contaminants to infiltrate water systems in Tooley Terrace and Rowena Crest Manor, so both remain offline. The Tooley Water District expected to receive test results by Tuesday (after press deadline), according to its website. The North Central Public Health District (NCPHD), which is overseeing the reactivation of both water systems, was not immediately available for comment.
For those who decide to handle cleanup themselves, the county advises you to wear sturdy shoes, long pants, eye goggles, heavy-duty work gloves and an N95 mask when inspecting damage. NCPHD also has free Tyvek coveralls available during normal business hours. Immediately bag and clean clothing once finished, leave your shoes outside and wash off any ash that’s on your body.
The lawsuit
Injury firm Singleton Schreiber also held another community meeting regarding its lawsuit against Union Pacific last Tuesday. Originally filed in Portland’s U.S. District Court with Ramon Garza Nino and Maria Carrera as plaintiffs, Vanessa Waldref, a partner at the firm, reported that about 40 additional residents are pursuing damages.
Based on an internal investigation, Union Pacific denied responsibility for starting the fire, but Oregon’s Department of Forestry is still pinpointing the exact cause, and Singleton Schreiber has “very strong” pieces of evidence they say prove the railroad’s culpability.
Beyond compensating plaintiffs for the loss of their belongings, emotional pain and other incurred costs, the mass tort accuses Union Pacific of negligence, including failure to manage nearby vegetation, properly operate brake systems, oversee employees and use “track warning systems” that allow for quick emergency response.
Any potential settlement or trial is likely years down the line. Singleton Schreiber is still in discovery, the process where both parties in a lawsuit exchange evidence, with railway operator Burlington Northern Santa Fe over the Tunnel 5 Fire, which struck Underwood in 2023, and has yet to enter discovery with Union Pacific.
Separately, Magill noted the county is not engaging in any conversations about recouping money spent on firefighting and recovery, or about mitigation measures along the railroad, until the cause is determined.
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