{ "id": "2020-09-09-oregon-state-university-wildfire-smoke", "slug": "oregon-state-university-wildfire-smoke-2020-09-09", "institution": { "name": "Oregon State University", "shortName": "OSU", "state": "OR", "type": "public-r1", "alertSystemName": "OSU Alert", "enrollment": 33000 }, "incident": { "date": "2020-09-09", "endDate": "2020-09-14", "type": "wildfire", "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification", "headline": "Hazardous wildfire smoke shuts operations; displaced students offered enrollment deferrals", "headlinePublic": "Hazardous wildfire smoke shuts operations; displaced students offered enrollment deferrals", "summary": "On September 9, 2020, [Oregon State University closed all non-essential operations](https://leadership.oregonstate.edu/provost/urgent-smoke-advisory-osu-closing-all-university-operations-western-oregon) in western Oregon beginning at 2:00 PM due to prolonged hazardous wildfire smoke from the [2020 Oregon wildfires](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Oregon_wildfires). Air quality in the Corvallis area reached hazardous levels as multiple large wildfires burned across the state. The closure affected the Corvallis campus, Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, and other western Oregon facilities.", "outcome": "No injuries reported. All non-essential Corvallis campus operations closed from September 9 through at least September 14. OSU-Cascades campus in Bend also affected. Students displaced by wildfires offered enrollment deferrals and deadline extensions.", "resolution": "confirmed-threat" }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestampApprox": "September 9, 2020, early afternoon", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "OSU faculty, staff and students,\n\nDue to prolonged smoke and ash conditions resulting from numerous wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, the following university facilities in western Oregon will close until further notice beginning at 2 p.m. today, Sept. 9, 2020:\n\nAll non-essential Corvallis campus educational, research, administrative, OSU Extension programs and campus operations.\n\nAll non-essential Hatfield Marine Science Center operations in Newport.\n\nAll non-essential county Extension offices and programs in western Oregon and all non-essential Agricultural Experiment Station operations in western Oregon.\n\nThe OSU Portland Center.\n\nEssential operations at these university facilities will be designated by department managers and include on-going critical research, University Housing and Dining Services, public safety and facility services operations. Programs and centers serving children, including camps and child care centers on OSU’s Corvallis campus, will remain open today until designated parents or family members are able to pick-up their children.\n\nEven while we prepare to close these operations, air quality in university buildings continues to meet federal and state standards. However, OSU is closing these facilities to enable university personnel to shut down air circulation systems in buildings that do not serve research activities that must be sustained or students within UHDS facilities. This will limit anticipated extensive damage to air circulation systems from infiltration of heavy ash and smoke residue. As a result and until further notice, all other non-essential OSU employees should work from home if their work can be performed remotely and with their supervisor’s knowledge. If an employee is unable to perform their work remotely, please see additional guidance as provided by on the Hazardous Conditions, Inclement Weather matrix.\n\nDuring this air quality crisis, we encourage you to be mindful of your health, as well as the health of your family and friends, by adhering to public health advisories.\n\nWe acknowledge that this week’s fire-related impacts are occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are affecting university community members and communities that OSU serves. For updated information about fires throughout Oregon, visit the Oregon Office of Emergency Management Facebook page. For air quality and smoke information, visit the AirNow website. You also may visit your local county website for other pertinent local information regarding emergency management and evacuations.\n\nFor additional support and confidential assistance, students should contact Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) at 541-727-2131 or visit the CAPS website for information about counseling services. Employees seeking confidential support may contact Beyond Benefits, OSU’s new employee assistance program, at 855-327-4722 or visit its website. Note that OSUbeyond is the organization web ID needed for initial registration for the Beyond Benefits program.\n\nYou may seek ways to help those directly affected by these wildfires. Anyone wishing to volunteer or contribute food or other supplies to evacuees located at the Benton County Fairgrounds should call 541-224-1339 or visit this website for more information. OSU employees living outside of Corvallis should visit their local county emergency operations website to provide assistance to others impacted by the fires.\n\nAccording to air quality monitoring sites in western Oregon, air quality in some locations will improve some tonight and tomorrow while remaining in the hazardous range. In the meantime, please take care of yourselves.\n\nWe will provide further updates on the OSU Home Page and by e-mail in the days ahead.\n\nSincerely,\n\nMike Green\n\nVice President\n\nFinance and Administration", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceDescription": "OSU VP Finance & Administration community email (verbatim)", "annotations": [ "The closure was issued by the Provost's office, indicating it was a university-wide academic and operational decision rather than solely a safety office directive", "Essential operations were designated by department managers and included critical research, housing and dining, public safety, and facilities", "Full community email signed by Mike Green, Vice President for Finance and Administration (Sept. 9, 2020)" ], "characterCount": 3797, "sourceUrl": "https://leadership.oregonstate.edu/provost/urgent-smoke-advisory-osu-closing-all-university-operations-western-oregon" }, { "sequence": 2, "type": "update", "timestampApprox": "September 11, 2020", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "Dear OSU Students,\n\nAs we witness widespread wildfires throughout the western United States, the university is aware that many OSU students are employed as firefighters, work in roles supporting firefighting efforts, or have personally experienced loss due to fires in their home communities. As a result, these students may need to delay their arrival for fall term classes, depending on their specific situation.\n\nI have asked all OSU faculty to accommodate to the fullest extent possible OSU students who are fighting or have been affected by the ongoing wildfires.\n\nMany faculty may extend in-course deadlines by a minimum of two weeks for students who are delayed because of wildfires, allowing them to begin classes as late as Oct. 12. Because some students may be at an academic disadvantage if they miss two or more weeks of class, I have asked advisors to explain to students their options in light of late arrival. Students who arrive late should work directly with their course instructors. If you need assistance in reaching your instructors, please contact the Office of the Registrar.\n\nStudents affected by the wildfires who choose to delay their enrollment until winter term will receive a refund for fall term registration already paid or they may drop without penalty through Oct. 9. If you are in this situation, please contact the Office of the Registrar so that the appropriate assistance can be provided by emailing registrars@oregonstate.edu.\n\nIf you have need of assistance for essential accommodations, services and support, or have general concerns or questions, please be aware of the following resources:\n\nCorvallis campus students:\n\nOffice of the Dean of Students for general resource support and referrals.\n\nCAPS for mental health and counseling support.\n\nOSU-Cascades campus students:\n\nStudent Care Team for general support and referrals.\n\nStudent Wellness for mental health and counseling support.\n\nYou may also call 211 or use this link for assistance in finding emergency resources in the community in which you live.\n\nYou also may want to help those affected by the wildfires. Anyone wishing to volunteer or contribute food or other supplies to evacuees located at the Benton County Fairgrounds should call 541-224-1339 or visit this website for more information. Those living outside of Corvallis should visit their local county emergency operations website to provide assistance to others impacted by the fires. Meanwhile, the Red Cross is recommending that wildfire relief be made by making a financial donation or by signing up to volunteer.\n\nWe are grateful for all those working hard to save lives and property, and our hearts go out to all families and individuals who have been affected by the fires.\n\nPlease stay safe.\n\nSincerely,\n\nEdward Feser\n\nProvost and Executive Vice President", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceDescription": "OSU Provost Edward Feser community email via Registrar archive (verbatim)", "annotations": [ "The enrollment deferral and deadline extensions reflected that some OSU students had been displaced from their homes by the wildfires, not just affected by smoke on campus", "The two-week deadline extension and October 12 late-start option were unusually generous accommodations, reflecting the severity of the wildfire crisis", "Full Sept. 11, 2020 Provost Edward Feser email; registrars@oregonstate.edu preserved as on official page" ], "characterCount": 2825, "sourceUrl": "https://registrar.oregonstate.edu/student-emails/accommodations-students-affected-wildfires" }, { "sequence": 3, "type": "update", "timestamp": "2020-09-10T14:42:32-07:00", "channel": "twitter-x", "verbatimText": "@MarineBioAlex Operations remain closed due to extensive wildfire smoke. Updates will be provided on our home page and by email.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/OregonState/status/1304173439125610496", "sourceDescription": "@OregonState on X (verbatim raw t.co)", "annotations": [ "Exact text from Oregon State University official X account during wildfire smoke closures." ], "characterCount": 128 }, { "sequence": 4, "type": "update", "timestamp": "2020-09-11T09:12:32-07:00", "channel": "twitter-x", "verbatimText": "Our operations in western Oregon remain closed due to extensive wildfire smoke.\n\nhttp://oregonstate.edu/alert/air-quality", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/OregonState/status/1304452778941530118", "sourceDescription": "@OregonState on X (verbatim raw t.co)", "annotations": [ "Exact text from Oregon State University official X account during wildfire smoke closures." ], "characterCount": 121 }, { "sequence": 5, "type": "update", "timestamp": "2020-09-14T02:20:29-07:00", "channel": "twitter-x", "verbatimText": "Our operations in western Oregon remain closed today (9/14) due to excessive wildfire smoke. https://oregonstate.edu/alert/air-quality", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/OregonState/status/1305436246068482049", "sourceDescription": "@OregonState on X (verbatim raw t.co)", "annotations": [ "Exact text from Oregon State University official X account during wildfire smoke closures." ], "characterCount": 134 } ], "context": "The [2020 Oregon wildfires](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Oregon_wildfires) were among the most destructive in the state's history, burning over one million acres and destroying thousands of structures across western Oregon in September 2020. Multiple fires, driven by an unprecedented east wind event, produced smoke that blanketed the Willamette Valley and pushed air quality to hazardous levels for days. [OSU's Provost office](https://leadership.oregonstate.edu/provost/urgent-smoke-advisory-osu-closing-all-university-operations-western-oregon) issued the closure directive for all non-essential western Oregon operations beginning at 2:00 PM on September 9. [KVAL reported](https://kval.com/news/local/oregon-state-closing-many-statewide-facilities-due-to-wildfires) that the closure affected the main Corvallis campus, Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, and other facilities. The [OSU Registrar](https://registrar.oregonstate.edu/student-emails/accommodations-students-affected-wildfires) offered displaced students the option to defer enrollment to winter term with a full refund, reflecting that some students had lost their homes in the fires. Oregon OSHA later developed [permanent Wildfire Smoke rules](https://ehs.oregonstate.edu/services/public-health/wildfire-smokeair-quality) in response to the 2020 events, which took effect in 2022.", "keyFindings": [ "The five-day closure for wildfire smoke rather than direct fire threat represents a relatively new category of campus emergency driven by air quality rather than physical proximity to flames", "OSU's enrollment deferral policy for wildfire-displaced students demonstrates how weather emergencies can affect students' ability to attend college at all, not just attend classes on a given day", "The installation of on-campus AQI monitoring stations reflects the growing recognition that wildfire smoke is a recurring hazard requiring permanent infrastructure" ], "sources": [ { "title": "URGENT SMOKE ADVISORY: OSU closing all university operations in western Oregon - OSU Provost", "url": "https://leadership.oregonstate.edu/provost/urgent-smoke-advisory-osu-closing-all-university-operations-western-oregon", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "Oregon State closing many statewide facilities due to wildfires - KVAL", "url": "https://kval.com/news/local/oregon-state-closing-many-statewide-facilities-due-to-wildfires", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Accommodations for Students Affected by Wildfires - OSU Registrar", "url": "https://registrar.oregonstate.edu/student-emails/accommodations-students-affected-wildfires", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "2020 Oregon wildfires - Wikipedia", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Oregon_wildfires", "type": "other" }, { "title": "Wildfire Smoke/Air Quality - OSU Environmental Health and Safety", "url": "https://ehs.oregonstate.edu/services/public-health/wildfire-smokeair-quality", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "@OregonState X cascade — wildfire smoke closures Sep 2020", "url": "https://x.com/OregonState/status/1304452778941530118", "type": "official-social" }, { "url": "https://x.com/OregonState/status/1304173439125610496", "title": "@OregonState on X", "type": "official-archive", "dateAccessed": "2026-07-18" }, { "title": "@OregonState on X (verbatim raw t.co)", "url": "https://x.com/OregonState/status/1305436246068482049", "type": "official-archive" } ], "confidence": "high", "tags": [ "wildfire", "weather", "emergency-notification", "oregon", "wildfire-smoke", "air-quality", "campus-closure", "hazardous-air", "student-accommodations", "2020-oregon-wildfires" ], "dateAdded": "2026-04-04", "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18", "addedBy": "ingestion" }