Latest news with #PacificPower
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
Explore Oregon Podcast: Last call at Crater Lake, record visits to parks, Detroit drawdown
In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness covers a range of outdoors news, including why this is the last summer to swim, fish or take a boat tour at Crater Lake National Park until 2029. Urness also talks about: Why this was a very good but also tragic ski season in Oregon. Oregon set a record for visits to its state parks system. The state is completely drought-free for the first time since 2019. The Central Cascades Wilderness permit system is returning this year, despite major cuts to the rangers and recreation departments that enforce it. The number of wolves and western snowy plovers — both protected under the federal Endangered Species Act — saw growth in their numbers last year. The Trump administration declared a forest health emergency to ramp up logging in Oregon and the West. The deep drawdown of Detroit Lake has been delayed until 2026, easing the water supply scare for Salem and Stayton. A long-awaited report from the Oregon Department of Forestry says Pacific Power was not at fault for the 2020 wildfires in the Santiam Canyon. Listen to each episode at Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud or Amazon Music and subscribe on your platform of choice to get future episodes. Find every episode: Find all episodes of the Explore Oregon Podcast online Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 18 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@ or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors and BlueSky at This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Podcast: Last summer to swim at Crater Lake National Park until 2029
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2020 Santiam Canyon fire not caused by downed power lines, ODF says
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A newly released Oregon Department of Forestry says that downed power lines were not the cause of the deadly Santiam Canyon Fire in Sept. 2020. Investigators determined that the cause of the fire was embers from the Beachie Creek Fire. 'The Santiam Canyon Wildfire Event is comprised of 19 reports of fire located within the protection boundaries of ODF's North Cascade District. Seven of which were caused by down powerlines but determined to not contribute to the spread of large fires in the Santiam Canyon. The seven ignitions were suppressed by residents and/or other fire personnel,' the report said. 'The remaining 12 reports of fire were determined to be caused by embers from the Beachie Creek Fire. The Oregon Department of Forestry did not investigate the Beachie Creek Fire because the U.S. Forest Service has jurisdiction over the fire.' Nine people died and over 5,000 homes were destroyed in the Santiam Canyon Fire, which burned nearly 2,000 square miles. 'We recognize the trauma that many Oregonians experienced during the Labor Day Fires, which is why the department is dedicated to making sure these investigations, and every investigation, are thorough and a complete picture of what happened,' ODF Deputy of Fire Operations Kyle Williams said. PacificCorp, the parent company of Pacific Power has faced a and has paid out to victims of the fires. In their response to the report, the power company said that the findings supported their 'longstanding assertion that electrical equipment was not the cause of widespread property damage in the Santiam Canyon during the 2020 wildfires.' 'The report confirms PacifiCorp's long-held position that any wildfire ignitions linked to the company's electrical equipment in the Santiam Canyon did not contribute to the widespread devastation that occurred when the Beachie Creek fire tore through the canyon,' said Pacific Power President Ryan Flynn. 'While we continue to recognize that the 2020 wildfires were undeniably tragic, the thorough investigation by ODF provides important context and details absent during the trial proceedings.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Mass power outages remain across Oregon after stormy night
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Thousands remain without power Tuesday morning after strong winds and record rain made their way through Portland Monday. After a stormy night, the weather is beginning to calm down, but widespread outages continue to plague the region. According to the Portland General Electric outage map, as of 3:00 a.m., there are over 1,100 outages and just over 29,000 people are without power. Pacific Power is also showing outages across, with 5,686 customers affected from Astoria all the way south to Grants Pass. Clark Public Utilities in Washington has shown improvements overnight with only 2,186 customers without power. At the height of the storm, over 100,000 Oregonians were without power. Drier weather is set to arrive in Portland on Tuesday as we reach the afternoon. Stay with KOIN 6 as we bring you updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
