Seeing Oregon's landscape turn into a blazing inferno is truly terrifying. The sheer scale of the devastation, with more than 1.4 million acres scorched by relentless wildfires, is beyond comprehension. For those of us who cherish Oregon’s natural beauty, it’s heart-wrenching to watch the state we love set horrifying records for wildfire destruction.
The latest fire near the small town of Tiller in Southern Oregon adds to this nightmare. As if 2020 wasn’t enough of a wake-up call, the Tiller Trail Fire, also known as the Dixon Incident, is now threatening even more lives and homes. This fire erupted near Tiller, an unincorporated community in Douglas County, just 28 miles southeast of Roseburg. What began as a blaze reported around 3 p.m. on Saturday rapidly grew into a monster, with the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office estimating it has already devoured between 3,000 to 5,000 acres by Sunday morning.
The speed and ferocity with which these fires spread is truly unsettling. With the Tiller Trail Fire at 0% containment, residents along Crume Ranch Lane and Devil’s Knob Road have been thrust into a state of emergency. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation order, forcing more than 30 people to abandon their homes and seek refuge at an emergency evacuation shelter in Canyonville, about 17 miles west of Tiller.
The escalating danger prompted Gov. Tina Kotek to invoke the Emergency Conflagration Act, allowing state resources to be mobilized to assist local firefighters. But even with three task forces deployed from the Rogue Valley, the situation remains dire.
This fire is just one of over 70 blazes currently ravaging the state, making 2024 the worst wildfire season on record since reliable tracking began in 1992. The scale of this disaster is unlike anything Oregon has ever seen, surpassing even the devastating fires of 2020. It's a stark reminder of how vulnerable our beautiful state has become to these increasingly ferocious wildfires.
