In the summer of 1933, the logging industry was booming in the Coast Range of Oregon, with numerous operations extracting timber from the dense forests. On August 14, loggers working in the area, in a bid to clear out harvested land, inadvertently caused a forest fire that rapidly spread beyond their control. The dry summer weather and the accumulation of dry underbrush created the perfect conditions for the flames to engulf the land. This fire would later become known as the Tillamook Burn, a series of major wildfires that would ravage the region over the following decades.

The fire, which started from logging implements and debris, swept through vast areas of forest, extinguishing diverse ecosystems and rendering the land barren. Over the next few weeks, despite the efforts of firefighters, the flames consumed a staggering 240,000 acres (970 km²) of forest. It represented not only a significant loss of timber resources but also the destruction of wildlife habitats and the alteration of the landscape.

After this event, public awareness regarding forest preservation began to change. The Tillamook Forest, previously viewed primarily as a resource for timber extraction, gradually came to be recognized for its importance in environmental preservation and recreation. Consequently, this fire played a crucial role in shaping wildlife management policies and led to a reevaluation of sustainable logging practices in the region.