Disaster response / August 2023
Operation Oregon Trail
The Oregon Road Fire tore through Elk in a single afternoon. HARP Rescue helped move people out, close the roads and get aid to families who lost everything.
- $250K+in aid supplies distributed with GEM
- $25K+in direct financial aid, through BStrong
- 3objectives: evacuation, aid, route closures
- 2weeks on the ground
Figures from HARP Rescue’s impact report for Operation Oregon Trail.
A / The situation
Two fires in one afternoon.
The Oregon Road Fire started near Elk, in northern Spokane County, Washington, at about 4:13 p.m. on August 18, 2023. High winds and low humidity drove extremely rapid growth.1
It burned 10,817 acres and destroyed 126 homes and 258 outbuildings.2 The Gray Fire, which broke out near Medical Lake the same day, was burning at the same time; together the two fires destroyed 366 homes and took two lives.3
B / The call
Support for the people on the line.
HARP Rescue deployed to Elk to help law enforcement, fire crews and paramedics respond to the destruction the fire was causing.
C / The plan
Evacuation, aid and road closures.
The team set three objectives. First, evacuation: coordinating and carrying out safe, efficient moves with local authorities, putting residents’ safety first.
Second, aid for the people who had lost their homes. Third, route closures, to help contain the fire and keep emergency crews moving.
D / In the field
Getting people out, and help in.
HARP worked with local authorities to move residents out of harm’s way.
For families left homeless, HARP brought in Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), an organization known for fast, large-scale relief. Together they distributed more than $250,000 worth of aid supplies, and BStrong, a GEM partner, gave more than $25,000 in direct financial aid to individuals and families.
HARP’s team also set up and managed strategic road closures, helping protect communities and keeping routes open for emergency responders.
E / The outcome
Aid where it was needed most.
Through the operation, HARP Rescue supported evacuations, helped manage the roads around the fire, and helped put more than $275,000 in supplies and direct aid into the hands of people who had lost their homes.
None of it would have happened without partners — GEM, BStrong, local responders and the community itself.
A crisis like this changes by the hour. What matters is adapting to it without losing sight of the people you came to help.
From the operation’s conclusion
Sources
HARP Rescue’s actions and figures come from its own impact report for this operation. Background on the event comes from the public sources below.
After the fire, families need more than sympathy. Help us bring it.
Every rescue requires preparation, experience, and resources. Your contribution helps put those resources in place before the next mission begins.
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