The Cram Fire is burning in Wasco County. (Central Oregon Fire Info)

Nearly 600 teens sent home as Cram Fire grows near the Washington Family Ranch

The Washington Family Ranch Young Life Camp — a large Christian summer camp in Wasco County — is sending campers home early this week due a growing wildfire spreading rapidly through grass, shrubs and brush west of the camp.

Campers and parents were alerted Monday night that the current session of camp would wrap up a few days early due to the nearby Cram Fire, said Gabe Knipp, the director of content at Young Life, a Christian ministry that offers summer camps, retreats and other programs. Around 580 camp guests aged 14 to 18 are heading home as of Tuesday.

The decision to send kids home early comes just 10 days after the tragic loss of life at the Mystic Camp in Central Texas, where 27 campers and counselors died in historic flooding earlier this month.

“Anyone who does camping was very sad at seeing that and reflective in some ways to say, how can we be sure that we are protecting kids as best as we can,” said Knipp. “So our hearts and prayers are certainly with those in Texas and it has made us continue to ask how can we keep kids as safe as possible.”

The Cram Fire has burned through 28,635 acres with 0% containment as of Tuesday morning. Gov. Tina Kotek signed a conflagration act on Monday for the fire, allowing the Oregon State Fire Marshal to deploy resources.

Monday saw “significant fire growth” as changing wind directions and rugged terrain made for challenging conditions, according to Simone Cordery-Cotter, a spokesperson for Oregon Department of State Fire Marshal.

“Today (Tuesday) we are seeing active fire behavior. The wind has shifted direction and is pushing west towards Highway 97,” Cordery-Cotter said. “Despite the fact that the weather is very challenging we are well resourced.”

On Tuesday the fire reached the community of Ashwood, a ghost town in Jefferson County, which prompted significant suppression work by fire crews. All fire crews were redirected from the fire line to conduct structure protection and firefighters worked through the night to protect homes and buildings.

Prineville Interagency Hotshots, the BLM and the Oregon Department of Forestry are among the crews working to suppress the fire. Around 230 personnel were working on the fire Tuesday.

The fire’s explosive growth prompted Level-3 Go Now order for areas in both Jefferson and Wasco counties. Residences are impacted by the Go Now order total 107 as of Tuesday, Cordery-Cotter said. In addition, 22 residences are under a Level-2 Be Set order and 469 residences are under a Level-1 Be Ready order.

Knipp said ending camp early will allow camp managers to focus on taking care of on-camp staff.

“We understand that there’s not current risk to Washington Family Ranch and the fire looks like it’s tracking south but we want to be able to respond should conditions change,” said Knipp.

Knipp said the fire will be tracked day-to-day and the hope is that the next round of campers will be able to come to the camp when it’s safe. This is the first time “in recent memory” that campers have been sent home due to a nearby wildfire, he said. The decision was not an easy one to make.

“Our camp staff, we exist so that kids can camp. So there is some disappointment there. But safety is our top priority and that is why we made the decision we did,” said Knipp.

The camp is located on the former Big Muddy ranch, covering 65,000 acres of land near the John Day River south of Antelope. The ranch was previously home to the religious sect of worshippers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who bought the ranch in 1981 and turned it into a compound at one time home to 7,000 people. The cult unraveled after a series of legal challenges and tensions with local residents, including the 1984 bioterror attacks of salad bars in The Dalles, as well as the planned 1985 assassination plot of Charles Turner, the United States Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Young Life has operated the youth camp at the site since 1999.