The Wasco County Fair Board will meet this evening at 6 p.m. at the Dew Drop Inn in Tygh Valley to discuss whether the fair can move forward this week, as they watch the behavior of the Grasshopper Fire closely. County Commissioner Jeff Justesen is also a member of the fair board, and he says they are in constant contact with Sheriff Lane Magill and fire officials. He adds they don’t want to make a decision too soon when conditions would allow the fair to move forward, but at the same time they don’t want to have a situation where they would have to do a last minute evacuation. The fair is scheduled to start Thursday and run through Sunday.
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City of Hood River Enters Into New Animal Control IGA With County
After a lengthy discussion, the Hood River City Council approved a five-year intergovernmental agreement for animal control services with Hood River County. Councilors spent considerable time talking about whether quality of shelter services the County can provide would be adequate if Hood River Adopt-A-Dog cannot overcome its current fiscal issues with the exhaustion of the Hukari Fund that has helped pay for the shelter’s operation. Councilor Doug Stepina said he was comfortable with the opt-out clauses built into the agreement should the City determine shelter services are inadequate. Under the new IGA going into effect September 1, the City will pay $41,700 in the first year, with a five percent increase each of the following four years of the deal.
Riverkeeper Issues Report Warning Of Federal Deregulation Of Nuclear Safety
The group Columbia Riverkeeper has issued a new report warning federal deregulation of nuclear safety standards could undermine Hanford Nuclear Site cleanup efforts. Columbia Riverkeeper senior attorney and Hanford program director Simone Anter says the report focuses on an area near Richland where plutonium production began, and is a potential site for new reactors. She says the report looks at how removing safety and environmental standards will impact clean up at the most contaminated site in the Western Hemisphere. The Trump administration says it’s streamlining deployment of “next-generation advanced reactors,” largely to generate more electricity for data centers. It calls the effort a “nuclear renaissance.”
Grasshopper Fire Update (1:30 p.m. on August 11)
The Grasshopper Fire has grown to more than 77,000 acres after strong winds pushed the fire northeast overnight toward Friend and Kingsley, while crews are holding the western edge along Highway 35.
California Incident Management Team 6 Operations Section Chief Anthony Rapoza outlines said the fire spread four miles within about an hour.
He said they now have dozer and hand line around the fire that came out to the east, and this morning they were working to secure and improve containment lines.
In addition, aircraft is being brought in to drop retardant in that area.
Fire officials say additional resources are focusing on protecting homes and structures in Friend, Sportsman’s Paradise and Camp Baldwin, with crews making aggressive efforts to protect structures along the northeastern edge.
The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office today announced Tygh Valley was being moved back up to Level 2 “Get Set” evacuation notice, while Level 1 “Be Ready” advisories are now in place for Conroy Road, White River Falls, Highline Ditch, Sherars Bridge, and the Lower Deschutes Wildlife Area.
Crews will also continue suppression efforts in the southwest, patrol and mop-up along the southern and eastern edges, and add swing-shift personnel during the afternoon and evening when fire activity is expected to increase.
Oregon State Fire Marshal’s resources will continue protecting homes directly threatened by the fire, mopping up around structures within the fire footprint, and preparing additional structures ahead of the fire front.
The Oregon Department of Transportation this morning closed Highway 35 between the junction with Highway 26 two miles east of Government Camp and Hood River to allow for on-going hazard tree removal and fire crew activity. Intermittent closures are expected to continue for firefighting operations, and smoke may impact visibility.
A community meeting on the fire that had been scheduled for this evening at Dufur School has been cancelled due to fire operations.
Level 3 Evacuation Announced For Sportsman’s Paradise & Shellrock Road; Tygh Valley & Fairgrounds Road Drop To Level 1
The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Level 3 “Go Now’ evacuation order for Sportsman’s Paradise and Shellrock Road.
Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill says the Grasshopper Fire is holding along the established lines on the northeast side and has not breached containment, but due to weather conditions, limited community access, and the challenging terrain, the evacuation status for those locations was moved to Level 3.
A shelter is now being opened at The Dalles Middle School.
A large animal shelter is available at the Sherman County Fairgrounds in Moro.
Aircraft today has been actively dropping retardant in that area to strengthen contingency lines protecting nearby communities from the Grasshopper Fire.
An Oregon State Fire Marshal’s task force, in coordination with the Sheriff’s Office, is currently working in the Shellrock Road area.
Additionally, the OSFM Blue Incident Management Team is arriving to support the unified response.
The Sheriff’s Office also said evacuation advisories for Tygh Valley and Fairgrounds Road have been downgraded from a Level 2 to a Level 1 – Be Ready.
The Sheriff’s Office advises residents to use caution returning to the area. Be aware of fire crews and law enforcement on roads. Look for road closures and downed power lines.
Grasshopper Fire Grows; Containment Still 23%
Officials say the Grasshopper Fire continued to grow steadily yesterday and overnight to nearly 63,700 acres, while containment lines along the southern and eastern portions of the fire held. The containment figure this morning remained at 23%. On the northern perimeter, firefighters worked to slow the fire’s advance near Fivemile Creek and Fifteenmile Creek. Crews also continued monitoring the Highway 35 corridor, where containment lines remain secure. In the southwest, firefighters began direct suppression efforts in the Bennett Creek area. Today, crews will focus on strengthening containment and contingency lines, working to keep the fire south of Dufur Valley Road, and west of High Prairie. Crews will continue securing and monitoring lines along Highway 35. In the southwest, firefighters will continue direct suppression where conditions allow. A community meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. at Dufur School. Highway 35 remains closed between Bennett Pass Snow Park and Baseline Road.
Progress Being Made On High Lava Fire
The Gifford Pinchot National Forest over the weekend expanded an emergency closure around the High Lava Fire in southwest Washington. The fire is estimated at 1,500 acres, burning northwest of Stabler and west of the Trapper Creek Wilderness. Jacob Welsh with High Lava Fire operations says they are making good progress. He says the fire is confined to a triangle between three Forest Service road systems: Forest Service Roads 54, 34, and 37. The closure includes several trails and trailheads, including West Crater, Soda Peaks and Siouxon, as well as all trails in the Trapper Creek Wilderness. It also covers the Canyon Creek dispersed camping area and several nearby roads. All motorized and pedestrian access is prohibited. The closure is scheduled to remain in effect through October 31st, unless lifted sooner.
Three Fires In Clackamas Ranger District
Firefighters are responding to three fires on the Clackamas Ranger District of the Mount Hood National Forest.
The Mitchell Fire, near Shellrock Lake, is estimated at 10 to 15 acres. A helicopter dropped water on the fire yesterday, and smokejumpers hiked into the wilderness to assess and begin building fireline. Two additional crews are working on hose lines. Several areas are closed, including Forest Roads 5830 and 4610-240, Hideaway Lake Campground, and Shellrock Campground. Lake Harriet remains open.
The Austin Fire is burning on steep slopes north of Forest Road 46, west of Forest Road 4630. Helicopters are dropping water, and additional firefighting resources have been ordered. An accurate acreage estimate is not yet available because of smoke and fire growth. Forest Road 46 is closed between Forest Roads 63 and 466, along with Forest Roads 5720 and 5710.
The Narrows Fire is estimated at about five acres. The fire is in steep terrain with hazardous snags, making access difficult for ground crews. Helicopters continue making water drops, and officials say the fire is currently threatening very little.
Grasshopper Fire Update For Saturday Morning (August 8)
As of this morning, the Grasshopper Fire has burned about 54,223 acres and is now 23 percent contained.
Officials say southern containment lines continued to hold, while crews monitored and patrolled the area.
Firefighters made good progress on the northeast side, building line around the “tear-drop” spillover. That area did not grow. The fire did grow overnight on the northeast side, which was expected with the windy conditions.
To the west, the fire reached Highway 35 in several locations, as planned, but has not crossed the road. Winds did push the fire across the containment line near Bennett Pass, adding several hundred acres.
Today, crews are concentrating on the northeastern edge, working to keep the fire south of Dufur Valley Road and west of High Prairie.
Firefighters are also working to establish Highway 35 as the western edge of the fire. In the Bennet Pass area, crews are preparing additional indirect fire lines along nearby forest roads.
The big concern today is the weather. Red Flag conditions are in effect through midnight, with very dry fuels and hot, windy conditions.
A cold front is expected late this afternoon, bringing wind gusts of up to 20 miles per hour. Westerly winds will likely push smoke into areas east of the fire.
No Growth On Grasshopper Fire
There was no growth reported on the Grasshopper Fire, and no change in containment. Acreage remains at 43,244, with containment still at 23%. California Complex Incident Management Team 6 Operations Section Chief Anthony Rapoza says the fire remained east of Highway 35, and a shift of winds to the west will help push the fire into itself. There is a Red Flag Warning in effect for the fire area into late Saturday night with hot conditions and strong west winds. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 2 “Get Set” evacuation advisory for Sportsman’s Paradise, South Valley Road and north of Rail Hollow Road. After Saturday, temperatures are forecast to go down and humidity to go up. Crews Friday will focus on direct suppression efforts along the northern and western perimeters while reinforcing containment along the west side of the incident.