Omnithion Times

By Alexander Ziwahatan Founder of Omnithion | Candidate for Governor of Oregon Introduction: Oregon at a Crossroads Oregon has entered a wildfire era unlike any in its history. Over the past five years, the state has grappled with escalating costs, destroyed communities, and strained government budgets. In 2024 alone, the Oregon Department of Forestry spent over $350 million on fire suppression , more than triple the amount spent the year prior . Earlier that year, the state set aside only $271 million for the next two years , yet that still fell short of needed funds for disaster response . That same 2024 fire season scorched nearly 1.9 million acres , forcing communities into evacuations and pulling emergency funds into crisis mode . The costs aren’t just budgets—they’re lives, homes, livelihoods. Oregon cannot afford to treat fire as an annual inevitability. We need a shift from reaction to prevention. The True Cost of Wildfires in Oregon Let’s look at the five-year wildfire ...