Prosecutors say he lit stacked papers inside the vacant mill after a dispute over stolen belongings.
OREGON CITY, Ore. — A 22-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree arson for a January fire that destroyed a three-story building at the former Blue Heron Paper Company site downtown, and a judge sentenced him to 60 months in prison, the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office said.
The conviction closes a months-long case tied to one of the year’s most visible fires in Oregon City. Officials said the blaze broke out early Jan. 30 at the shuttered mill complex at 419 Main St., sending embers toward nearby homes above the riverfront. Prosecutors said the defendant, Christian Gannon Dukes of Oregon City, admitted he started the fire inside the vacant structure. The plea agreement dismissed other counts, while the arson conviction carries a five-year term under Oregon’s sentencing rules. No deaths were reported, but the building was a total loss and the cleanup stretched through winter.
Investigators said Dukes stacked a pile of paper several feet high on a wooden floor, then used a disposable lighter to ignite it. The district attorney’s office said he told detectives he was angry because he believed houseless people who camped on the property had stolen his belongings. Oregon City firefighters and mutual-aid crews responded after multiple 911 calls reported flames at the old mill along the Willamette River. As crews worked, officials monitored drifting sparks toward a residential bluff east of the site; residents reported ash falling blocks away. “He admitted to intentionally setting the fire,” the district attorney’s office said, describing the event as a deliberate act inside a long-vacant building.
The Jan. 30 fire consumed a three-story structure within the defunct mill, which closed in 2011. Photos released by authorities showed heavy flames pushing through the broken-roofline and collapsing interior timbers. Oregon City Police said patrol officers and detectives worked with fire investigators to identify a suspect in the following days, aided by witness accounts and evidence recovered inside the building. Prosecutors filed a first-degree arson case in Clackamas County Circuit Court. Dukes later entered a guilty plea, acknowledging he started the blaze that destroyed part of the complex. Officials said no one else has been charged in the incident, and they noted that the exact dollar damage figure remains under review.
The mill site, commonly known as Blue Heron, has been vacant for years and frequently drew trespassers after operations ceased. It sits at the south end of downtown by Willamette Falls, where redevelopment plans have moved forward in phases. Fire crews have responded to smaller incidents at the property over time, but January’s blaze was among the largest since the closure. Records describe the building lost in the fire as one of the older wooden structures remaining on the river side of the property. The city and property owners have posted no-trespassing warnings over the years and worked to secure entries, but openings in the sprawling complex have made enforcement difficult.
In court Thursday, a judge accepted Dukes’ guilty plea to arson in the first degree and imposed a 60-month prison sentence. Prosecutors said other counts were dismissed under the agreement. Officials said standard post-prison supervision will follow the term. Authorities did not announce any restitution figure at the hearing, saying the amount will be determined later based on cleanup and structural assessments. Oregon City Police said the case remains closed except for administrative follow-up, including documentation and reimbursement filings common in large fire responses. The DA’s office said no additional arrests are anticipated.
Neighbors who watched the flames in January recalled a fast-moving fire in a drafty, unsecured building. A resident on the bluff east of the mill said crews “were knocking it down as embers floated our way,” adding that ash landed on porches before the wind shifted. A downtown shop owner said the fire “brought back the worry that the old mill could still burn,” describing relief at the guilty plea months later. Fire officials said the mill’s age, wood construction and open exposures fueled the blaze, while proximity to the river complicated access. By sunrise that morning, crews had contained the fire and began overhauling the smoldering debris inside the fallen structure.
The case now moves into the custody phase as Dukes begins serving his five-year sentence. Officials said any restitution orders or related civil claims will be handled in subsequent proceedings. As of Monday, the property owner and city partners continued long-term planning for the site while evaluating structural hazards left by the January fire. No additional court dates were immediately set beyond routine post-sentencing steps.
Author note: Last updated December 9, 2025.