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The agency said it was mobilizing an incident management team
and six structural task forces, with three responding Wednesday
night and the other three arriving early Thursday.
“This early season conflagration should come as a reminder to
Oregonians to be ready for wildfire,” State Fire Marshal Mariana
Ruiz-Temple said.
The Oregon Department of Transportation said Interstate 84 was
closed between Hood River and The Dalles. Hood River, a popular
tourist destination about 55 miles (90 kilometers) east of
Portland, is home to some 8,000 people, and more than 15,000
people live in The Dalles farther east.
Residents of more than 700 homes were ordered to evacuate in an
area stretching northwest of The Dalles along I-84 and farther
inland, according to the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office.
Residents of more than 1,300 homes were told to prepare to
leave, including in part of the town’s northern end.
A middle school in The Dalles was set up as a temporary shelter,
while the county fairgrounds opened as a shelter for livestock
and horses, the sheriff’s office said.
Photos shared by the transportation department showed flames
burning alongside and in the median of I-84 as wind gusts fanned
the smoke. A water helicopter and a plane dropping fire
retardant helped fight the fire, which broke out Wednesday.
Department spokesperson David House said in an email that the
interstate will be closed indefinitely “due not only to the
wildfires but also due to the extreme danger of driving in
smoke.”
Washington state's transportation department said a separate
brush fire resulted in the closure of 8 miles (13 kilometers) of
State Route 14, which also runs along the Columbia River.
Authorities urged people traveling in the area to use alternate
routes.
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