Reward offered for information relating to Cow Valley Fire and others
VALE, Ore. – Oregon Cattlemen’s Association and Bureau of Land Management Vale District are offering an $8,000 reward for information leading to the identification of individual(s) responsible for starting the Cow Valley wildfire and others in the Malheur Reservoir area.
“Several of Oregon’s largest fires were deliberately started by arsonists,” said Oregon Cattlemen’s Association President Matt McElligott. “We at Oregon Cattlemen’s Association are appalled and outraged that any person or persons would commit such a heinous crime.”
A joint investigation by the Bureau of Land Management Vale District, Oregon State Fire Marshal, Malheur County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police determined the Cow Valley, Bonita and other, small, wildfires that began between 1 and 5 a.m. July 11 were human caused and suspicious in nature. Anyone with information about any of these incidents should call We Tip Anonymous at 1-800-47-ARSON or online at https://www.wetip.com/submit-a-crime-tip/.
“The Cow Valley Fire destroyed houses, outbuildings, livestock, critical irrigation infrastructure, essential rangelands and endangered the lives and livelihoods of many farmers and ranchers,” McElligott said. “This year’s fires will go into the record book as the greatest amount of acres burned, the largest economic loss to those Oregonians impacted by these fires, and the largest economic cost to the state of Oregon.”
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.