Cram wildfire rapidly grows, burning more than 20,000 acres in central Oregon

A wildfire that started Sunday evening in Jefferson and Wasco counties has quickly grown to become the largest active wildfire in Oregon, according to Central Oregon Fire.

The Cram fire, off of mile post 76 on Highway 97 near Willowdale and northeast of Pony Butte Road, has burned 20,000 acres and is 0% contained, according to the State of Oregon Fires and Hotspots Dashboard. There have been no reported injuries.

The fire started around 5:32 p.m. on private land. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, and officials are investigating.

Level 1, 2, and 3 evacuation orders were issued by Jefferson and Wasco counties in the areas around the fire on Sunday night and Monday as high temperatures and strong winds pushed the fire south and east, reaching Ashwood, states Central Oregon Fire, an official interagency wildfire information resource.

Level 3 (go now) orders were issued east of Gateway in Jefferson County to the border with Wheeler County, and, in Wasco County, east of Highway 97 and south of Highway 293.

A shelter has been opened at Madras Middle School, and a Red Cross team is set up at the Jefferson County Middle School as an evacuation site, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The Jefferson County Fairgrounds said it would hold evacuees’ large animals until Friday.

As the fire expanded through Monday, Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act, which allowed the Oregon State Fire Marshal to send a state all-hazard incident management team, as well as four task forces from Lane, Multnomah, Washington and Yamhill counties, to provide additional help and structure protection.

According to Mariana Ruiz-Temple, the state’s fire marshal, this is the sixth time the Emergency Conflagration Act has been invoked this summer. Last year, Kotek invoked the act a record 17 times.

Firefighters have responded to seven new wildfires across central Oregon since Sunday, including the Cram fire.