The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office said Monday morning that all evacuation advisories for the Larch Creek Fire in southern Wasco County have been dropped. That after the Oregon Department of Forestry on Sunday said containment of the Larch Creek Fire in southern Wasco County was at 81%. Size of the fire is 18,286 acres. A local Type 3 Team assumed command of the fire over the weekend as ODF’s Incident Management Team 2 demobilized. Crews identified areas with remaining hot spots and formed a plan of action to achieve the remaining containment needs and begin perimeter patrol. There may be times when smoke is visible as crews dig out hot spots.
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Lone Rock Fire Now At 40% Containment
The Lone Rock Fire southeast of Condon is now at 124,556 acres in size, with containment now 40%. Cooler temperatures and increased cloud cover on Sunday gave firefighters an advantage in securing portions of the south end of the fire. Crews are looking to secure indirect line with firing operations on the east side of the fire. Firefighters will also be working directly on the fire’s edge from near Burton Hill south to the Umatilla National Forest boundary. Incident Commander Ian Yocum told a community meeting in Fossil over the weekend that firefighters have saved a lot of homes, but other had been lost. He will added that it will be a while until officials can get into those locations and do a complete damage assessment.
Pavement Work Planned In The Dalles Next Week
City of The Dalles crews and contractors next week will apply fog seal to all streets that received chip seal treatment last month. These fog seal projects will require short duration road closures between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at each location. Detours will be in place during work hours. A complete list of streets involved is available at thedalles.org. Fog sealing is an asphalt emulsion sprayed on to a pavement surface. The emulsion is diluted to a proper consistency to obtain complete coverage of the roadway, and extends the life of chip seal treatments.
Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge Reopens
The Port of Hood River announced Saturday morning that structural repairs have been completed ahead of schedule and the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge is now open to all vehicles weighing less than 64,000 lbs. Visit the Port website for information on current weight and height restrictions at: https://portofhoodriver.com/bridge/. The Port will announce a future bridge closure to continue electrical and mechanical work on the lift span.
Woman Killed In I-84 Accident
A 55-year-old woman was killed early Thursday morning when her car was hit by an ambulance while she was outside her disabled vehicle on the side of westbound Interstate 84 in Hood River County. According to the Oregon State Police…55-year-old Geraldean Edna Martin of Portland was outside of her vehicle near milepost 54 when the AMR ambulance driven by 42-year-old Amanda Hancock of Benton City left its lane of travel and struck the vehicle. The OSP says Martin was declared deceased at the scene. Neither Hancock nor two passengers in the ambulance, one of whom was a patient, were injured in the collision. The accident occurred at 12:45 Thursday morning.
Larch Creek Fire Containment Now 43%
Containment of the Larch Creek Fire in southern Wasco County moved up to 43% as crews worked last night to grid the area, searching for any heat emerging around the fire’s edge. Crews did observe juniper tree torching, or the ignition of trees from bottom to top inside the perimeter of the 18,432 acre fire. Fire officials say they are making great progress on the fire. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office lifted all remaining Level 3 evacuation advisories on Wednesday evening, going down to Level 2. There were other reductions, with all previous Level 1 advisories lifted. Detailed evacuation information is available on the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. The Pine Hollow Reservoir reopened to recreation on Wednesday afternoon.
Lone Rock Fire Grows To The South On Wednesday Night
The Lone Rock Fire ten miles southeast of Condon did make a four-to-five mile run to the south on Wednesday. Northwest Team 2 Operations Section Chief Amy McClave said with good progress made on the north side of the fire, they will be now focusing on the southern end. The community of Spray is now under a Level 2 “Get Set” evacuation advisory, after being at Level 3 “Go Now” for a time on Wednesday evening. The fire is now 77,020 acres in size, and containment is at 10%.
Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall Coming To The Dalles
The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will be on display at the Oregon Veterans Home in The Dalles early next week. The wall is etched with the names of over 58,000 men and women who died in the Vietnam War. The wall will be on display at the Oregon Veterans Home on 700 Veterans Drive in The Dalles from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday of this coming week (July 22-24). An opening ceremony including remarks from former The Dalles Mayor and Vietnam veteran Steve Lawrence, Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs director Dr. Nakeia Council Daniels, and Veterans Care Centers of Oregon board chair Linda Adams, will be held Monday morning at 10 a.m.
Port of Cascade Locks Finalizes Strategic Plan
The Port of Cascade Locks has finalized its strategic plan for the next five years. Port Deputy Executive Director Genevieve Scholl says the Port Commission completely revamped their vision and mission statements, and established four major strategic goals: maintaining Port assets, facilitate economic development through management of Port properties, encourage economic development through recreation, and modernize internal operations. Scholl says they are now developing a work plan to address those goals. She adds one effort underway is the creation of a new economic development grant program for projects that will impact the economy in the Port of Cascade Locks district.
Mother/Daughter STEM Fair Planned For July 25
Gorge Women in STEM will hold its inaugural Mother/Daughter STEM Fair next Thursday afternoon (July 25) in Bingen’s Daubenspeck Park. Mid-Columbia Economic Development District Executive Director Jessica Metta says the event aims to inspire the next generation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through hands-on interactive activities. The Columbia Gorge STEM Hub and the Gorge Technology Alliance are partnering in the event. It will run from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. next Thursday at Daubenspeck Park in Bingen. For more information go to crgta.org.