Gov. Tina Kotek is asking the federal government to declare a major disaster following a historic wildfire season on the east side of the state.

Kotek sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting the declaration, which could free up grants to help pay for costs “incurred for responding and recovering from wildfires” between July 10 and Sept. 7, the letter said.

The Oregon wildfire season saw 1.9 million acres burned, which broke the previous record of 1.2 million acres set in 2012. The fires were predominantly on the east side of the state and burned in large rangeland and grassland areas.

“I am asking President Biden and the federal government to provide relief to the rural Oregon communities who weathered an unprecedented, destructive wildfire season,” Kotek said in a statement. “Our rural communities are still in profound crisis as a result of this season, and I am resolved to secure the federal assistance needed for Oregon to recover and rebuild.”

The request applies to six Oregon counties — Gilliam, Grant, Jefferson, Umatilla, Wasco and Wheeler. Those areas were hit by multiple megafires, blazes that grew over 100,000 acres, and experienced significant damage to utility poles and lines, resulting in power, communication and internet outages, Kotek said.  

Oregon’s congressional delegation echoed her call for relief and urged Biden to grant the request.

“The 2024 wildfire season has been one of the most devastating and costly fire seasons on record,” U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley as well as U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Cliff Bentz, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas and Lori Chavez-DeRemer wrote in a letter to the president.

Fires destroyed at least 42 homes and 132 other structures, according to data from Northwest Coordination Center.

If approved, the declaration would provide federal grants for state, tribal, local governments and certain private nonprofits for costs incurred for responding and recovering from wildfires between July 10 and Sept. 7.

Kotek also requested that Biden waive the state’s share of the cost for emergency work in response to the disaster.

“The rural counties impacted by the wildfires have limited resources to support the standard share of the cost and the magnitude of state resources deployed across Oregon means state funding is insufficient to reimburse these communities,” the news release said.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 16 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.