August 29, 2023 5:45 a.m.

Monday night, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the Smith River Complex to allow the Oregon State Fire Marshal to mobilize structural firefighting resources to protect life and property.

An OSFM release said additional firefighters, equipment and an incident management team are being mobilized to provide structure protection for homes threatened by the Smith River Complex. The complex began in California and has now burned across state lines into Oregon. Level 3 evacuation orders are in place. Last Thursday, OSFM mobilized two structural task forces through immediate response to protect communities near the Smith River Complex ahead of a conflagration declaration.

The governor’s declaration cleared the way for the state fire marshal to mobilize firefighters and equipment to assist local resources in battling the fire and further support a coordinated response.

The OSFM’s Blue Incident Management Team will be briefed and assume unified command of the Smith River Complex Tuesday morning. The additional task forces are coming from other counties around the state through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System to protect life and property.

The Smith River Complex is nearing 71,000 acres and is 6 percent contained.