Clackamas Fire confirms tumwata village blaze was accidental

 

By Nicole Montesano

Smoke Signals staff writer

The Clackamas Fire Department announced on Thursday, Feb. 26, that it has determined the fire at the former Blue Heron paper mill, the Tribe’s tumwata village property, began accidentally.

The three-alarm fire was reported at 3:45 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 30. There were no fatalities.

Clackamas Fire Public Information Officer Izak Hamilton said that drone videos showed the fire appears to have started on the second floor of the building, from a makeshift stove brought in by unhoused people who were sheltering there in the subfreezing temperatures.

Tribal Communications Director Sara Thompson said it has been a struggle to keep trespassers away from the massive complex.

“Unfortunately, the size, complexity, and the many access points to the site can draw trespassers to the property for many reasons,” Thompson said. “We have worked collaboratively with Oregon City to address trespass issues as they come up and to mitigate any potential problems. …  We have begun demo of the impacted buildings and are committed to continuing to work with our partners in Oregon City to keep people safe and move forward with the remaining demolition.”

The department said the fire had been thoroughly investigated, and thanked the Oregon City Police Department, the Tribal Police Department and the Oregon State Police for their assistance.

Clackamas Fire responded to the site multiple times in the following weeks to continue battling hotspots.

Demolition of the buildings started in late February and is expected to take a few weeks. The latest phase is focused on cleanup of four buildings affected by the fire.

“There will be further demolition work occurring after this initial phase focused on the buildings surrounding the fire impacted ones,” Tribal Engineering & Community Development Department Manager Ryann Webb said. “This work was always scheduled to happen this year, but the timeframes were accelerated due to the fire. We plan on taking down an additional 10 buildings, so a total of 14 buildings will come down in 2025. All of this work is part of the Tribe’s plan to heal and restore the land.”

Hamilton noted that demolition crews “have the equipment to deal with any small smoldering hotspots they come across.”

The Tribe purchased the 23-acre former Blue Heron Paper Mill in 2019 and renamed it tumwata village in 2022. When it was purchased, it marked the first time that the Tribe had owned land at Willamette Falls in more than 150 years.

When the development is complete, it will include a mix of open space, retail, shopping, residential, office, restaurants, and a hotel and event space. It will include access to the river’s edge, views of the restored native basalt riverbank and space for public and Tribal gatherings.