Size of the Whisky Creek Fire southeast of Cascade Locks in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness has moved up by 84 acres to 2,057, while containment remains at 9%. Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 10 Operations Section Chief Cary Neu says crews have been focusing their efforts on the east and southeast areas of the fire. Hand crews are scouting the southern portions of the perimeter for opportunities to limit the size of the fire footprint. Heavy equipment operations continue on Forest Roads 630 and 2820. Neu added that while Saturday night’s heavy rains quieted down the fire somewhat, they did not get as much on the ground as they hoped, and fire activity could increase as conditions dry out.
Author: mbailey
MCCFL To Refocus Behavioral Health Response Due To OHA Changes
Mid-Columbia Center for Living says it will be refocusing its crisis response from emergency department behavioral health response to community response over the next two months. Center For Living executive director Al Barton says the change is occurring because of changes the Oregon Health Authority has made to the rules that govern Community Mental Health Programs. Under the new rules, those programs must provide two-person mobile crisis response teams available 24/7 to respond to behavioral health crises in the community. The two-person teams are supposed to provide more robust support for people in crisis while increasing the safety of responders and reducing the need for law enforcement involvement in non-violent situations. Hospitals will continue to be responsible to provide behavioral health treatment in hospital emergency rooms but will need to provide their own staff to perform behavioral health assessments and discharge planning. Barton says for individuals who are admitted to the emergency rooms, they plan to partner with hospitals to transition crisis evaluations, support, and safety planning to professionals employed by the hospitals.
Hood River Schools Look For Bus Drivers
As the Hood River County School District prepares to begin classes next week, there are still opportunities for those willing to drive a school bus or van. District Superintendent Bill Newton says they have a pair of driving needs: bus drivers and van drivers. Van drivers do not require a commercial drivers’ license. Newton says they have enough drivers for day-to-day transport to schools, but when extended field trips and school athletics get started, the district runs short. He says that leads them to use charters, which are more costly than using the district’s own buses. If you’re interested in becoming a school bus driver, contact the Hood River County School District to apply through the district website, hoodriver.k12.or.us, and click on jobs.
Port of Hood River Considers How To Prevent Height-Related Accidents
Repairs from the early summer’s semi-truck accident on the Hood River/White Salmon Interstate Bridge that damaged six overhead beams are complete, so now the Port of Hood River is considering whether anything can be done to ensure it does not happen again. Port Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says they are looking to see if some kind of trigger can be installed to alert truck drivers. Greenwood says they have received the suggestion of a bar that a large truck would hit to alert them, but he notes that during the June accident, the driver did not know the excavator being towed was damaging the beams.
One Injured In Highway 14 Accident
A man from The Dalles was injured in a two-car accident Friday afternoon on Highway 14 east of Bingen. According to the Washington State Patrol, a pickup truck driven by a 38-year-old man from The Dalles was stopped on eastbound Highway 14 at milepost 67 behind another vehicle waiting to make a left-hand turn at approximately 4:20 on Friday afternoon when a car struck the pickup from behind. The driver of the pickup was not hurt, but the driver of the car, a 29-year-old man from The Dalles, was taken to Skyline Hospital in White Salmon with undisclosed injuries. The WSP says both of the vehicles involved were totaled.
Williams Mine Fire At 4,147 Acres; Management Team Brought In
The Williams Mine Fire on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest west of Mt. Adams is now listed as 4,147 acres in size, and it continues to burn in heavy timber. Minnesota Incident Command Team C took command of this fire Thursday morning. Crews continue to clear brush and other vegetation along the fire perimeter to strengthen the line, with air support used when needed to cool areas of the fire to allow firefighters to safely work. The Mt. Adams Wilderness area is closed along with the Pacific Crest Trail between Williams Mine and Potato Head. Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders are in effect for areas north and east of Trout Lake in Klickitat County, and the Forest Service 23 Road, north of Trout Lake, and the Takhlakh Lake area in Skamania County. South and west of Trout Lake is under a Level 2 “Get Set” evacuation advisory. Evacuation advisory details and maps are available on the websites and Facebook pages for Skamania County Emergency Management and Klickitat County Emergency Management. A community meeting on this fire is scheduled for Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at the Trout Lake Grange.
All Evacuation Advisories Lifted For Microwave Tower Fire
Crews continue to monitor the few remaining smoldering hotspots within the interior of the Microwave Tower Fire. Containment remains at 89%, with the size at 1,313 acres. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday afternoon that all remaining evacuation advisories for the fire have been lifted. Fire officials say the interior smoke may increase within the fire as temperatures increase and low humidity remains. Work continues to repair hand and dozer lines, roads, and trails used during firefighting activities. Disturbed areas will be returned to a more natural state, allowing for faster revegetation. The Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail and some roads remained closed, and the public is asked to respect those closures to allow firefighters to work safely.
Whisky Creek Fire At 1,447 Acres
Officials say efforts on the Whisky Creek Fire in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness southeast of Cascade Locks are going well. The fire has burned 1,447 acres, and there is no containment figure. Fire officials say they plan to use ignitions to strengthen the control lines on the east side of the fire, taking advantage of predicted east winds. Firing operations will also occur on the south side of the fire to prevent spread outside of the Wilderness. Contingency line construction is continuing from Wahtum Lake to Hood River. Crews also plan to construct indirect line, often using existing features such as trails, roads, natural barriers, and the Eagle Creek burn area, to contain fire to the smallest footprint possible.
Woman Missing After Not Returning To Camp In Pinchot Forest
The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office says a 58-year-old Native American woman was reported missing after not returning to her camp over the weekend in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest near the Sawtooth Berry Fields. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Victoria Atkins did not return to camp at a pre-arranged time on Saturday, and after her friends searched for her the rest of the weekend, reported her missing to Yakama Tribal Police after returning to the Yakima area on Monday. Skamania County Search and Rescue searched on Tuesday and Wednesday with fixed-winged aircraft, infrared, and ground searches, and but could not locate the woman. Atkins is five-feet-five inches tall, and weighs 120 pounds, with brown eyes and gray hair. She was last seen wearing a black sweater, blue jeans or sweatpants, and a “colorful” tank top. The Sheriff’s Office says search efforts for Atkins have been suspended temporarily, but will resume in another coordinated, large-scale effort to locate her.
Updated Washington Primary Vote Counts Show No Major Changes
No major changes Wednesday after the latest vote counts in Washington’s top two primary election. Most local offices had only two candidates, but others had competition to advance. There were seven running for Skamania County Commission District 2, with Rob Farris at 340 votes after Wednesday’s update and Mary Repar at 241. Joshua Good is third with 230, with four others trailing. In the Congressional races, 4th District incumbent Dan Newhouse was trailing another Republican, Jerrod Sessler, by over 6,000 votes, but has a nearly 5,000 vote lead over a third Republican, Tiffany Smiley, to get on the November ballot. Incumbent Democrat Marie Glusenkamp Perez and Republican Joe Kent were easily advancing in the 3rd Congressional District. In Washington State House District 17 for position 2…Democrat Terri Niles had about 48 percent of the vote to lead, while David Stuebe had a 650 vote lead for second over fellow Republican Hannah Joy. In House District 14, for position 1, Democrat Chelsea Dimas topped the count with about 37 percent of the vote, while Gloria Mendoza had a 98 vote lead over the other Republican in the race, Andy Kallinen. The candidates for position 2 in District 14 are determined, with Republican Deb Manjarrez and Democrat Ana Ruiz Kennedy easily outpacing Eddie Perez, who listed no party preference. Home Valley Water District’s Maintenance and Capital Improvement Levy was being approved 66 to 39. Skamania County will update its ballot count today, while Klickitat County will do so on Friday.