VALE – The Bureau of Land Management and the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office are seeking help from the public after finding arson a possible cause in several recent wildfires in the county.
The agencies are asking for people to offer any information regarding the series of wildfires.
In a Thursday, July 18, press release, the BLM asked for the public’s assistance into the investigation of the Cow Valley and Bonita Fires and “other small wildfires in the Malheur Reservoir area.”
According to the press release, “The fires all began in the early morning hours of July 11, between approximately 1 and 5 p.m. They are believed to be human-caused and of a suspicious nature. A monetary reward is being offered for information leading to the identification of individual(s) responsible.”
Anyone with information about any of the fires can call We Tip Anonymous at 1-800-47-ARSON, or online at wetip.com.
Officials did not release the amount of the reward.
Travis Johnson, Malheur County sheriff, said arson was “possible” in all of the fires.
“The investigation is still early on. The fact there were multiple fires is pretty suspicious,” he said.
The Cow Valley Fire erupted Thursday, July 11. The blaze, considered one of the worst in recent Malheur County history, began near Ironside and triggered the closure of U.S. Highway 26, threatened homes and knocked out power to more than 700 people between Vale and Unity. The blaze also prompted “get-ready” evacuation orders for towns near the fire.
The fire moved south over the next few days, consuming massive sections of rangeland. As of Friday, July 19, the blaze was 77% contained and stretched across 133,408 acres.
As of Thursday, July 18, 378 firefighters with 24 engines, six water tenders and three dozers worked on the fire.
As the blaze continued to rage across the rangeland, the Vale Elementary School was transformed into a fire command center and a firefighter base camp was established at the Vale rodeo grounds.
Earlier in the week, the Malheur County Court signed a disaster declaration for the county because of the fire.
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