#Armed Oregonians set up illegal roadblocks, ask for IDs amid wildfires

Armed residents in Oregon set up roadblocks and told people to show their identification after someone started a blaze with fireworks, authorities said.

Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese said Saturday that a small fire was started “intentionally” near Corbett.

“Soon after, we started receiving reports of local residents establishing roadblocks in East Multnomah County,” Reese said.

“Deputies responded to reports some people were armed and asking for identification of the folks they stopped. We told people engaging in this behavior that roadways are open to all users, and their actions are illegal and they could be subject to citation or arrest.”

Reese said the fire “remains under investigation.”

The news came as conspiracies have popped up across the state that members of the far-left radical group Antifa or “extremists” are starting the fires.

The FBI has said there’s no evidence that any group has been behind the blazes, which have killed at least 10 people in the state.

“FBI Portland and local law enforcement agencies have been receiving reports that extremists are responsible for setting wildfires in Oregon,” the FBI said in a statement.

“With our state and local partners, the FBI has investigated several such reports and found them to be untrue. Conspiracy theories and misinformation take valuable resources away local fire and police agencies working around the clock to bring these fires under control.”

There were similar claims shot down by various local law enforcement agencies throughout the state.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said it had become “overrun” with inquiries on “an UNTRUE rumor that 6 Antifa members have been arrested for setting fires.”

“THIS IS NOT TRUE! Unfortunately, people are spreading this rumor and it is causing problems,” the agency said on Facebook.

More than 100 miles away in Jackson County, authorities also grappled with the same problem.

“We are inundated with questions about things that are FAKE stories. One example is a story circulating that varies about what group is involved as to setting fires and arrests being made,” Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.