THE DALLES, Ore. — Evacuation orders have been downgraded in the Columbia River Gorge after several fires sparked along I-84 Friday morning.
The three larger fires, all together officially named the Milepost 78 fire, burned approximately seven acres between I-84 and the railroad tracks. Two other fires were limited to a "spot," according to the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Central Oregon District. As of Friday night, the Milepost 78 fire was 20% contained.
Video sent in to KGW shows the flames burning along Interstate 84 and crews with large fire trucks. The fires burned near the community of Rowena, in between the towns of Mosier and The Dalles.
The Wasco County Sheriff's Office said crews arrived just before 11 a.m. and found three separate fires within a one mile stretch. Nearby resources from Dallesport, Dufur and Hood River helped contain the flames. In an update Friday afternoon, the sheriff's office said they'd controlled the fire from spreading thanks in part to their helicopter and an air attack plane. Two ODF Fire Boss aircraft, a Type 1 helicopter on loan from the S-503 fire, and an air attack platform from Central Oregon Fire Management Services helped to put out the fire.
All road closures have been reopened as of Friday night. Check the latest updates on Tripcheck here.
All evacuation orders have been downgraded to a level 2 'GET READY.' Those addresses under the order are the following:
- From 5220 Hwy 30 West to 6090 Hwy 30 West, includes Rowena River Road and Mayer State Park.
- From 5220 Hwy 30 West to Simmonelli Rd/Hwy 30 West Intersection
The sheriff's office said conditions will be reevaluated Saturday morning and those evacuation orders may be updated then.
The fire comes as a record-breaking heat wave is set to take over the Pacific Northwest. Triple-digit temperatures are expected Saturday through Monday with the hot weather sticking around through next week. The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch.
Multiple fire agencies in the Portland metro area enacted outdoor burn bans that go through the next several days, including Clackamas County, Multnomah County, Washington County and Clark County.
Crews are still working on the S-503 Fire burning along the north end of the Warm Springs Reservation that has burned more than 6,600 acres so far. It's 50% contained as of Thursday evening.
This is a developing story and will be updated.