On April 20, 2015, the Oregon DEQ contacted Region 10 and requested assistance responding to a hazmat incident after a recent fire involving a barn at a residential property in Oregon City, Clackamas County, Oregon. The cause of the fire was undetermined, but was believed to have started when incompatible chemicals reacted with one another inside the barn. Approximately 12 drums and 50 total containers of various chemicals were reported in the barn, including acids, oxidizers, pesticides and unknowns, some of which had breached and lost their content and others that were leaking. Although one drum that had leaked reportedly contained DDT, it was later found to contain 2-4 D pesticide with other additives, and not DDT. Clackamas County Fire initially responded to the incident, extinguished the fire, and pulled out and staged hazardous materials containers.
During discussions with Clackamas Fire, ODEQ, and EPA, the property owner indicated they did not have the resources to hire a contractor to conduct cleanup. After the request from ODEQ, the EPA OSC and START contractor personnel responded to the site on the afternoon of April 20 to conduct a site assessment. On April 21, 2015 the EPA OSC, along with ERRS and START contractors, began a time-critical removal action, and conducted hazard categorization, segregation and staging of chemicals in preparation for disposal. A total of 127 containers were characterized and staged for disposal, including 21 drums, 55 five-gallon buckets, and 31 other containers. EPA demobilized the site on April 22, 2015, and all containers were transported offsite for disposal on April 27, 2015.
