In Gilliam County, the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal Incident Management Team will be returning to their home jurisdictions today due to the diminished risk to homes as a result of a set of fires.  The Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office has reduced all Level 3 evacuations to Level 2, and Level 2 evacuations were reduced to Level 1.  A wildland incident management team will continue to work with local structural firefighters, as needed, to manage the fires.  On Wednesday night firefighters continued to mop up and patrol the firelines around the Stubblefield Fire, which is now 70%  contained.  The Stubblefield Fire is at 57,703 acres, including the Seale Fire that merged into it.  The fire was active yesterday on the far western flank, crossing Buckskin Canyon, and currently is holding at the ridge above Buckskin Canyon where there is a containment line.  The fire remains on the east side of the John Day River.  The 39,000 acre Jennie’s Peak Fire is 65% contained, and continues to hold along the John Day River, staying north and east of the river.  The Lonerock Fire is now 75% contained and did not grow yesterday, remaining at 5,056 acres.

A small grass fire Thursday morning on Hood River’s Heights was quelled quickly.  Westside Fire District Chief Jim Trammell says crews arrived to find four power lines going down from the Experiment Station/Tucker Road intersection to the Mid-Columbia Experiment Station.  The grass fire was about 100 feet by 200 feet in size, and two engine crews extinguished it quickly.  Trammell says crews were not sure why the lines were going down.  A blown transformer occurred as result, causing a power outage throughout the Heights that Pacific Power indicated for most customers lasted for about 20 minutes.  A handful of customers were without power as of late this morning.

Three different county fairs are underway in the region.  The Wasco County Fair opened Thursday in Tygh Valley, with Kids’ Day events planned for 2 p.m.  Friday will include Farmers’ Fun Day events beginning at noon and the first night of rodeo competition at 7:30, with a dance featuring Blue City Diesel to follow at 9 p.m.  The Klickitat County Fair has started in Goldendale, with the popular County Products Kick-Off Barbecue beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday.  And the Sherman County Fair continues in Moro, with the Down on the Farm Chore Course Thursday at 7 p.m.

The pear harvest in the Mid-Columbia is underway.  Craig Mallon of Duckwall Pooley Fruit Company said the harvest started a week earlier than usual, and the picking of Bartlett pears is beginning to wrap up.  He says the volume of that crop is one of the largest on record.  Mallon says the larger winter pear crop that will start to be picked next week, led by green Anjou, is off a bit in many parts of the Hood River Valley, but adds that may dovetail well with the Bartlett crop.  He adds the fruit size of those Anjou’s are a bit larger than normal.

Northern Wasco County People’s Utility District and utility contractors today are inspecting electric system infrastructure impacted by recent wildfires in the Dufur and Tygh Valley areas.  The inspections are part of a mandatory pre-bid process for contractors prior to submitting final bids to perform work for the district.  The PUD says contractors performing work on the system will be clearly identified with placards displaying “PUD CONTRACTOR”, as well as individual forms of identification.  Northern Wasco PUD has a substantial capital investment and renewal program which includes making repairs after disasters such as wildfires.  Contract resources are sometimes utilized to complete that type of work.

Containment levels for four fires in Gilliam and Wheeler counties have gone up.  The largest of the four, the Jennie’s Peak Fire, is 40% contained and 38,000 acres in size.  Officials say the fire perimeter has been secured along the east flank and along the south and up the western flanks of the fire along the John Day River.  Successful burnout operations took place Tuesday on the northeast corner of the fire as firefighters are steering the fire toward the northwest toward the Porcupine Fire burn scar.  The Stubblefield Fire is 50% contained and is 23,150 acres in size, with operations focusing on establishing a line toward the John Day River to check the spread of uncontained fire embedded in the Potlatch Creek drainage.  The Seale Fire is 40% contained and 23,600 acres in size after making a run to the south, and the 5,056 acre Lonerock Fire is 60% contained.  All evacuation levels and closures related to these fires are unchanged.

It’s a busy week for fairs in the region, with three taking place this week.  The Sherman County Fair is beginning today in Moro, with the Dale Coles Classic Car Show this afternoon along with the Fair Board’s kickoff barbecue starting at 5 p.m.  The Wasco County Fair starts Thursday in Tygh Valley, and it will once again be a free day sponsored by The Dalles Disposal, including the Senior Picnic in the Park at 11:30 and Kids’ Day events at 2 p.m.   And the Klickitat County Fair starts Thursday in Goldendale, with the County Products Kick-Off Barbecue beginning at 5 p.m.

The Hood River County Commission directed its staff to prepare an ordinance to adjust the definition of residency as it relates to short-term rentals.  Following the continuation of a hearing on Monday night, Commissioners told staff to develop an ordinance requiring four forms of proof of residency that would be similar to but not exactly like what the City of Hood River uses, and would also remove the cap of 100 STR permits in the County under the expectation the tightened residency requirements would act as a limit on STR development.  Grandfathering existing STR’s and not allowing them on resource lands was also discussed.  County Administrator Jeff Hecksel says an ordinance should be ready for consideration in the fall.  In other business, the Commission approved a two-year contract with the County’s general employees’ union.

Steep, rugged terrain has slowed mop-up work on the Westcliff Fire northwest of Hood River between Interstate 84 and the Columbia River.  On Monday firefighters held the fire within the containment lines, and were able to improve control to 75%.  Because of the cliffy nature of the terrain firefighters are being extra cautious in their actions on the fire.  Potential rolling debris is a concern as crews grid through the fire interior.  Timber fallers were able to fall several trees within the fire perimeter which still had live fire burning within the canopy.  A Type 1 helicopter was then used to drop water on the flames to reduce the heat and allow firefighters to fully extinguish the heat.  Resources still assigned to the fire include four wildland engines and a 20-person crew, with two helicopters available as needed.  Union Pacific train traffic is moving through the area slowly, coordinating with firefighters as it enters the area.  Evacuation orders were reduced Monday, with some Level 1 areas remaining.

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says with wildfires in the region, tourist numbers were probably down a little bit last month.  Farquharson says during the recent peak of fires in Wasco County during late July and early August, the numbers of visitors going through The Dalles Visitors Center was down, but added they have been back up in the last week or so.  She adds they have been trying to get the message out that the region is open for business, adding it can be a challenge to get accurate information to the potential tourist.  Farquharson says they use all available social media channels to do that.  Farquharson noted she’ll be watching September, as that is when many international visitors and those with no children will come to the region.