Crews remain after inferno at abandoned Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Crews remain on the scene hours after a fire engulfed the Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City.

According to fire officials, the fire has been declared under control and no injuries have been reported. Clackamas Fire’s hazmat team has also cleared the air as not harmful.

Crews were initially called to the scene at around 3:45 a.m. Thursday morning where massive flames were sending a plume of smoke that could be seen from all around.

VIDEO: Oregon fugitives ram patrol vehicles in attempt to escape capture

The fire left behind massive damage and crews are expected to be on the scene all day mopping up hotspots and working to determine what sparked the fire.

All morning, neighbors have been coming to the promenade to get a look, both they and officials said this latest fire is not surprising.

Clackamas fire said crews quickly called for backup after arriving at the structure off Main Street, which has laid dormant since 2011.

“It’s been abandoned for a long time, or empty, unoccupied, and we’ve had incidents here. And if you remember, back in December of 2020, we had a big fire here, part of the structure collapsed,” said Izak Hamilton with Clackamas Fire. “And so knowing that it’s always the potential for something like this to happen. And yeah, we’re always waiting for it.”

Officials said that the former fire, nearly five years ago, was a result of arson.

Fire crews are now working to determine the cause of this fire though they said it could take several days. Officials said they will also spend the next couple of days to fully extinguish the fire.

Cheryle Kennedy is the chairwoman of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, which purchased and reclaimed the land in 2019. She said learning about the fire was “alarming and also saddening.”

“Our people lived there, managed the falls and had our villages there,” Kennedy said. “So you know, it holds strong ties to the area. And when something like this happens, you just kind of get a pain in your heart about it.”

Kennedy said the site has security but often attracts people who are curious or seeking shelter. Despite the added costs, she said the fire won’t impact demolition progress to make way for the multi-use Tumwata Village Project. The goal is to restore access to the falls.

“We have to anticipate additional costs because of this fire,” Kennedy said. “But are we stopping? No, we will continue to do the demolitions.”

In total, five fire trucks and 20 fire engines initially responded to the fire. The three-alarm incident also drew the response of some crews from Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, Canby Fire and Portland Fire and Rescue. Portland General Electric was also on the scene to help with shutting off power.

According to Clackamas Fire, Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality also responded to the scene. They determined there is no environmental concern. However, the DEQ said they will proceed with the normal cleanup and assessment after it is extinguished. The DEQ is also urging the public to stay clear of the property.

Smoke may be visible from the site for the next 24-48 hours as the fire continues to smolder, Clackamas Fire said. However, fire officials will continue to remain on site, extinguishing any hot spots.

Highway 99 East remains closed through downtown Oregon City to 2nd Avenue.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.