ODF sends crews to North Carolina to fight wildfires

The Oregon Department of Forestry deployed 21 firefighters and an agency representative to North Carolina over the weekend to help fight wildfires. The crews arrived in Charlotte Saturday night and traveled to Asheville Sunday morning for a briefing from North Carolina fire leadership. Both crews were integrated into fire operations the same day, ODF said in a press release Monday. The deployment, made under a state-to-state mutual aid agreement, is one of many out-of-state deployments the agency takes part in every year under similar agreements. “These agreements help bolster Oregon’s complete and coordinated fire protection system and create a cache of reciprocal resources for all of us to call on when needed,” said Ron Graham, Deputy Chief of Operations for ODF’s Protection Division. The firefighters come from the Douglas Forest Protective Association, the Coos Forest Protective Association and several ODF Protection Districts, including South Cascade, Western Lane and Southwest Oregon. The deployment is a two-week rotation. North Carolina’s wildfire season runs earlier in the year than Oregon’s, making the two states natural partners for sharing resources. When wildfire activity is low in Oregon, firefighters can be sent to help elsewhere while keeping skills sharp. In fact, it’s been almost exactly one year since Oregon firefighters last found themselves in North Carolina, fighting the Black Cove Fire in that state’s Polk County. “Oregon has a strong relationship with North Carolina. They regularly send resources in our time of need, and we support them when we’re able,” Graham said. ODF said it vets every out-of-state deployment before committing crews, ensuring Oregon’s fire management system stays adequately staffed and ready to respond to fires at home. Oregon has called on its own out-of-state partners in recent years. In 2025, the state received firefighters and equipment from about 17 states, provinces and territories when wildfires here exceeded local and state response capacity.