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Tragic view: Oneonta Tunnel after Eagle Creek Fire

The longstanding Oneonta Gorge tunnel is one sad casualty of the Eagle Creek Fire.

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The longstanding Oneonta Gorge tunnel is one of the sad casualties of the Eagle Creek Fire.

The tunnel, which was built in 1914, burned in the wildfire that has reached 33,000 acres since it started Saturday.

The image below shows what the inside of the tunnel looked like before it burned.

Inside the Oneonta Gorge Tunnel, before it was burned by the Eagle Creek Fire. (Photo: Jodi Lawton via KGW Facebook)

On Monday night, Oregon Department of Transportation employee Doug Gross took a photo of the wood-lined tunnel on fire.

The Oneonta Gorge tunnel on fire, burned by the Eagle Creek Fire, on Monday, September 4, 2017. (Photo: Doug Gross, Oregon Department of Transportation)

On Wednesday, ODOT tweeted a photo of the tunnel.

The Historic Columbia River Highway used to pass through the tunnel, which was built into a rock outcropping east of the mouth of Oneonta Gorge. It closed in 1948 but reopened for pedestrian traffic in 2009.

For a more detailed history of the tunnel, including historic photos through the years, click here.

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