Fire at former Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City causes lengthy closure of 99E

fire at blue heron mill 1/30/25

Crews from Clackamas Fire are working a fire at the former Blue Heron paper mill early Thursday.Photo courtesy of Clackamas Fire

UPDATE: Expect smoke over Oregon City as fire at former paper mill smolders

A fire, called in at about 3:45 a.m. Thursday at the former Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City, closed Southeast McLoughlin Boulevard, Main Street and Oregon Highway 99E.

The Oregon Department of Transportation closed 99E in both directions from Oregon City to just north of Canby.

Clackamas County Fire crews and other firefighters from the area remain on the scene.

Fire at former Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City

Crews work to put out the remains of a fire that broke out at the former Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City early Thursday morning, January 30, 2025.Photo courtesy of Jesse Reade

They asked people to avoid the southern part of downtown Oregon City and choose alternate travel routes.

The former mill occupies 23 acres on the Willamette River in Oregon City and has been closed since 2011. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde purchased the site in 2019 for its planned tumwata village development. The property also experienced a fire in 2020.

“We are disheartened by the fire at our property — tumwata village, the former Blue Heron Paper Mill — that began earlier this morning,” Grand Ronde Tribe communications director Sara Thompson said in a statement to the Oregonian/OregonLive. “While we are on site and working with local authorities to assess the situation, our top priority is the safety and well-being of everyone involved. Our hearts are with Oregon City and local residents that have been impacted by this morning’s events and we ask that everyone give authorities the time and space to safely do their job.”

— The Oregonian/OregonLive

blue heron mill fire 1/30/25

Crews fight the fire at the former site of the Blue Heron lumber mill early Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.Photo courtesy of Clackamas Fire

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