A 2007 Ford Ranger used by Jason Deach and Mike Griswold to escape the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles was destroyed in the Rowena fire. The burned truck sits on their leased land in Rowena, Ore., on June 17, 2025, where the June wildfire consumed most of what they had brought to start over.
The Rowena fire rapidly engulfed some 3,700 acres after igniting June 11 in rural areas of the Columbia River Gorge, ultimately inflicting an estimated $9 million in damages and displacing 1,500 residents. More than 500 firefighters were deployed to the area off Interstate 84.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in Oregon federal court, attorneys allege that a Union Pacific train was hauling refrigerated boxcars between Portland and Hermiston when the train braked 3 miles northwest of The Dalles, sending sparks into nearby brush.
In an interview Tuesday, attorney Gerald Singleton said the freight company had failed to clear brush near its tracks and was operating negligently despite the National Weather Service’s “red flag warnings” that arid conditions in the area were ripe for wildfires.
“When you have red flag conditions, you have to be very cautious, because it’s the kind of thing where a single spark can start one of these,” he said. “Families have lost their homes, livelihoods and sense of security.”
Firefighting authorities did not respond to a request for comment, but said earlier this week that the cause of the blaze remained under investigation. The fire has been contained and all evacuation orders have been lifted.
Union Pacific said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and denied fault.
“After conducting its own extensive investigation, Union Pacific has found no evidence to date that our train caused the Rowena fire,” company spokesperson Robynn Tysver said in an email.
Singleton filed the lawsuit on behalf of Ramon Nino and Maria Carrera, a married couple whose workshop and personal property were destroyed by the conflagration, according to the attorney.
He said the couple are still determining total damages.
—Zane Sparling covers breaking news and courts for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, zsparling@oregonian.com or @pdxzane.
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