The fire, which broke out on Tuesday in the farm’s primary drying barn, obliterated four structures. No one was injured but the company’s inventory was destroyed. What caused the fire has yet to be determined.
According to Chris Wolfard, Applegate Fire District Chief, high temperatures, low humidity and the number of combustible materials made conditions difficult during the response. Firefighters were able to protect several additional buildings, including a nearby residence, and prevent the fire’s spread into wildland.
Elise and Jeff Higley, the farm’s owners, said employees were able to move tractors and other equipment out of harm’s way and that the field still has crops.
“We have built Oshala Farm into what it is today and without [our employees] we wouldn’t be able to provide all the incredible herbs we do,” Elise and Jeff wrote in a statement on the farm’s GoFundMe page. “We met with our incredible team [on Wednesday] and as a group we agreed that we will rebuild and persevere.”
The farm, reportedly the second largest of its kind in the United States, had received nearly $224,000 in donations by Thursday evening to rebuild, short of its $250,000 goal.
“The very foundation of our industry, and the health and wellness of the millions of people we serve, depends on the farmers growing the high-quality botanicals we know and love,” Graham Rigby, president and CEO of the American Herbal Products Association, said in a statement. “Tragically, a catastrophic fire swept through Oshala Farm in Southern Oregon this week…the operational destruction they face is devastating.”
By incorporating organic and regenerative farming techniques, Oshala Farms typically grows about 75 varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs. Elise, a member of AHPA’s board of trustees, wrote that the fire destroyed hundreds of thousands of pounds of herbs, which take many years to grow.
The fire also impacted the farm’s infrastructure needed to dry, process and get plants out of the ground and into the hands of consumers.
“The loss is unbearable and feels insurmountable, but we hope that with your help we can rebuild what we’ve lost, both physically and emotionally,” she added.
