Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill dropped the evacuation advisory for Rowena Dell as the result of the Memaloose Park Fire from Level 2 “get set” to Level 1 “be ready.” In a Facebook post, he cited the “great progress” fire crews made Friday night and Saturday. The 65-acre Memaloose Park remained at 25% containment heading into the evening. Oregon Department of Forestry incident commander Gordon Foster called the fire a “dirty burn” with unburned fuels within the fire perimeter slowing efforts to fully contain the fire. Firefighters worked on Saturday to strengthen existing containment lines, and overnight tasks included continuing mop-up activities and looking for area of heat and flames.
Friday evening the fire burned through the westbound Memaloose Rest Area, managed by Oregon Travel Experience, causing minor damage to one of the buildings and burning the power transformer for the site. The westbound rest area will remain closed until the electrical unit can be repaired. The eastbound rest area is open. No other buildings were damaged by the fire.
The fire burned lands within Memaloose State Park, Oregon Travel Experience’s Memaloose Rest Area, and private lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry, Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue protection, and some lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The fire is human caused and under investigation.