BOARDMAN, Ore. — Community organizers in northeastern Oregon are calling for an investigation after an activist's truck burned in a "suspicious" fire Tuesday night during a visit from lawmakers in the state legislature's BIPOC caucus regarding polluted groundwater in the region.
According to the group Oregon Rural Action, they discovered a staffer's pickup truck in flames out in front of a rural Morrow County property that lawmakers had toured an hour prior. The group said that the property is the home of another staffer.
“The fact that this truck appears to have been intentionally set on fire at the very time we were hosting a delegation of Oregon legislators makes this incident extremely concerning,” said Kristin Ostrom, executive director of Oregon Rural Action.
Firefighters from the Boardman Fire Department responded to the call. Boardman Fire Chief Mike Hughes confirmed to KGW that the fire was suspicious, but that the cause remained "undetermined." The agency completed and closed its investigation.
But Ostrom said authorities told her that turpentine, a flammable solvent, was found at the scene. And a Morrow County Sheriff's Office incident report about the fire response, which she shared with KGW, details the dispatch traffic from start to finish, including a line that reads, "This will definitely be arson. Requesting (law enforcement) unit." It isn't clear from the report who said that or why.
The Morrow County Sheriff's Office confirmed Thursday morning that the incident is currently under investigation, but said they had no other information to share.
According to Oregon Rural Action, lawmakers were visiting the area to look into longstanding concerns about groundwater contamination in the region, detailed recently in The Story's "Tainted Waters" series.
“We’re deeply concerned this violent action may be a message to rural community members and Oregon Rural Action that we should stop our efforts to secure safe drinking water,” said Ostrom. “Safe drinking water is a fundamental right for all, including rural residents.”
Oregon state Rep. Ricki Ruiz's office confirmed that he was part of a delegation that visited Morrow County to speak with community members about groundwater contamination, prompted in part by The Story's reporting.
“I was honored to be invited to Boardman to speak with community members on the high level of nitrates in the groundwater," Ruiz said in a statement. "I am grateful to have heard from organizers and leaders on how the state can support the Boardman community. I’d also like to thank KGW for their investigative journalism, which contributed to our urgency in visiting the Boardman area."
Ruiz added that he was saddened to learn that an ORA organizer's truck had been burned, and he hopes for an investigation to determine the cause and identity of any persons of interest.
"One thing is clear: everyone deserves to feel safe when organizing in their community," Ruiz said. "I have faith in our law enforcement to adequately investigate this.”