FiLE - The Nixyaawii Governance Center in Mission, Ore., on April 30, 2024
Antonio Sierra / OPB
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation declared a state of emergency Wednesday over the Hagen Fire burning in eastern Umatilla County.
According to a press release, the tribes’ Board of Trustees declared both an emergency over the more than 8,600-acre fire along the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s eastern boundary and a separate public health emergency over the poor air quality caused by the wildfire smoke.
“The declaration states that local resources are at capacity and cannot handle additional fire threats, prompting the CTUIR to declare a state of emergency in order to request state and federal resources,” the press release states.
Authorities have already issued evacuation orders for parts of Umatilla and Union counties around the fire and opened a shelter at Sunridge Middle School in Pendleton.
Firefighters say the wildfire smoke cleared considerably Thursday, creating better visibility. The Hagen Fire is causing poor air quality across northeastern Oregon.
According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, La Grande had the second-worst air quality in the state as of Thursday afternoon.
However, the unstable weather conditions are also expected to create wet and dry thunderstorms with wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour, which could worsen the fire.
