Police looking for person of interest in connection to one of the four fires

BOARDMAN — Four fires Friday, July 18, ripped through areas of Boardman, destroying five homes and a food pantry that was a former church.

Boardman Police Chief Rick Stokoe also reported there is a person of interest based on reports of a man who fled from one of the fires.

Stoke said the fires began in the afternoon, with a lawnmower setting of the first blaze.

“I was told the lawnmower exploded as they were mowing,” he said.

The second fire started soon after, Stokoe said, and reports came in that a Hispanic male ran from the fire and took off in a gray pickup. Stokoe said the male is a person of interest in that fire.

Fires also started along Interstate 84, near mileposts 171 and 161, Stokoe said, and fire agencies from throughout the region rushed to help the community near the Columbia River.

“Fire crews were battling at different times and different locations,” he said.

The city of Boardman at about 7:20 that evening reported firefighting efforts stopped the progression on the large fires burning in the vicinity of Willow Fork Drive.

The fires prompted the deenergizing of power lines, and Umatilla Electric Cooperative is working to restore electricity to the area. UEC’s online outage map at about 9 a.m. shows 36 customers without power in Boardman.

The SAGE Center, 101 Olson Road, Boardman, served as a Red Cross station throughout the night.

Stokoe also encouraged anyone with information about the fires to call the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office at 541-676-5317.

The Boardman Chamber of Commerce is the point of contact for donations at 541-481-3014 or email at info@boardmanchamber.org.

More to come.