Fire at old paper mill rains ash and embers on downtown Oregon City

By OPB staff (OPB)
Jan. 30, 2025 4:01 p.m. Updated: Jan. 30, 2025 10:59 p.m.

The fire at the former Blue Heron paper mill closed Highway 99E in Oregon City Thursday morning.

A large fire at the former Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City is under control, according to Clackamas Fire officials. But firefighters remain at the scene.

Crews work to extinguish a fire at the former Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City on January 30, 2025.

Crews work to extinguish a fire at the former Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City on January 30, 2025.

Kristian Foden-Vencil / OPB

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Officer Izak Hamilton of Clackamas Fire District said the fire upgraded to three alarms early Thursday morning, but firefighters declared it under control at 7:56 a.m. He said the public should expect to see smoke coming from the site for the next 24 to 48 hours as the fire continues to smolder.

Investigators are looking into what started the fire. It sent black embers ash high into the air, which then rained down on the streets and sidewalks of Oregon City for several blocks around the fire.

Some residents were concerned about asbestos exposure. But Hamilton said crews looked into that risk.

“We did have our hazmat crew come out and they did test the air quality, and there was nothing there to be concerned about,” Hamilton said. “So we really lucked out on that.”

He said ash on cars and property can be cleared away with a standard household cleaner. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality will continue to clean up and assess the scene after the fire is fully extinguished.

All lanes of Highway 99E were closed in Oregon City, from Tumwater Drive to South End Road. A detour was put in place, and officials said Thursday afternoon that the closure would likely last through the night.

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Hamilton said ice had formed on the roadway as water from the firefighting effort spread through the area. Oregon City officials worked with Clackamas Fire on Thursday morning to address that ice.

No injuries were reported. Other fire crews responded to the scene, including Canby Fire, Portland Fire & Rescue and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.

Portland General Electric is also on scene to address any damage to power equipment.

The former paper mill is owned by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, which purchased the site in 2019. Grand Ronde has been working to demolish buildings in the area to make way for tumwata village, a mixed-use district that highlights the cultural significance of Willamette Falls while providing public and commercial development of the dormant site.

Related: Grand Ronde says Oregon City mill fire won’t delay mixed-use tumwata village development

Crews were called to a similar blaze at the empty paper mill in 2020. Firefighters back then had to be pulled out of one structure before it collapsed.

With that history in mind, crews Thursday did not enter the building and instead focused on stopping the blaze from spreading.

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