ODOT: Most task force-led wildfire debris removal is complete

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A year and a half after Oregon’s devastating Labor Day fires in 2020, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that the majority of all task force-led wildfire debris and hazard tree removal work is complete. 

The fires that occurred in September 2020 were recorded as Oregon’s worst natural disaster in modern history. They burned more than 1 million acres, destroyed more than 4,000 homes, and resulted in nearly 100,000 hazard trees that needed to be removed. 

ODOT began its cleanup efforts in December 2020 and estimated the work would take between six to 18 months to complete. 

So far, the state says it’s cleared 99.9% of the property lots affected by the fire and has removed 93% of the hazard trees. Officials say 69% of the total project workforce was made up of Oregonians and 91% of the cleanup work was performed by Oregon-based businesses. 

The Oregon Debris Management Task Force was also proud to learn that the workforce that contributed to wildfire cleanup efforts surpassed national workforce diversity averages. Of the crews involved, 25% of the workers were “non-white” and 21% were women. 

“As crews start to demobilize, we hope that this important work can serve as a model for the future and a baseline to build upon while state leaders plan for what comes next,” said Frank Reading, the area commander overseeing the wildfire cleanup operation.  “Most importantly, we—with our many contractor and local community partners—hope that we’ve done our part to help get wildfire survivors back into homes with some semblance of normalcy again.” 

There are no upfront costs to the state-led debris removal work, but property owners should be aware that there are requirements that work to avoid duplication of insurance benefits. More information on this is available on the Oregon Debris Management Task Force website. 

Anyone interested in checking the cleanup status of their property can also do so online. The information is updated daily.