The Rattlesnake Fire is now estimated at 4,700 acres with no containment burning on Prineville District Bureau of Land Management lands in the area of South Junction campground and the Warm Springs Reservation.  A unified command involving the Central Oregon Fire Management Service and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Fire Management is directing efforts.  Four large air tankers, two Single Engine Air Tankers, and a heavy helicopter are responding to the blaze in addition to the Central Oregon Rappellers and Redmond Hotshots.  Trout Creek Campground on the Deschutes River is currently under a Level 2 (SET) evacuation order from Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.  The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office put a Level 2 Get Ready evacuation order for residences near the junction of Highways 97 and 197.

A helicopter and rope rescue lifted an injured 74-year-old man from the Mt. Defiance Trail in Hood River County on Wednesday.  According to the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, Paul Holsted was hiking on the trail about two miles from Starvation Creek with a friend when he fell down a steep slope and sustained a head injury.  Search team members reached Holsted on the ground and coordinated an airlift by an Oregon Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter from Salem.  Holsted was flown to a hospital in the Portland area.  The Sheriff’s Office says his condition is unknown at this time.  The Crag Rats and Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue were also involved in the rescue effort.  The Sheriff’s Office said the man was not a local resident.

The FBI has offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest, and conviction of those responsible for setting a fire on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation on June 21.  The fire burned approximately 42 acres of brush and grass alongside Highway 3 near the reservation fish hatchery in central Oregon.  Warm Springs emergency crews battled the blaze.  The FBI and the Warm Springs Police Department want anyone with information about the fire to contact them.

The new chief of The Dalles Police Department announced he plans to have open community office hours on a monthly basis.  Chief Tom Worthy says he will be available from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month to answer questions from the public.  Worthy says the office availability is part of a broader community outreach effort, adding he will be there to listen and is willing to talk to anyone.  

Wasco County Commissioners this morning declared an emergency ban on the use of personal fireworks in unincorporated areas of the county effective immediately due to what they called “unprecedented weather and drought conditions.”  Commissioner Steve Kramer made the motion to put the ban in place, saying before the unanimous vote the Wrentham Fire convinced him of the need to take action, especially after they had already made drought and burn ban declarations.  Commission Chair Scott Hege said his hope is to raise awareness of the current fire threat level to citizens so they are compliant with ban which will run through July 14.  Wasco County joins the cities of The Dalles, Hood River, and White Salmon, who all in recent days have enacted fireworks bans.  The Hood River County School District issued a statement reminding citizens fireworks are not allowed on school grounds.

Preparation continues for the Fort Dalles Fourth celebrations on Sunday, including the fireworks display that night.  Marty Hiser of the Fort Dalles Fourth committee says the company that puts on the show, Western Fireworks, takes plenty of steps to ensure the show is done safely.  Fort Dalles Fourth activities begin with the Rocket Run starting at Bargeway Pub at 7 a.m., and sign-ups are being taken at fireworksinthedalles.com.  A community breakfast will be held at Bargeway Pub and sponsored by Cochenour Builders at 8 a.m., followed by the Hometown USA 4th of July Parade through downtown The Dalles at 10 a.m. that is sponsored by Columbia Gorge Toyota and Honda.  The fireworks show will begin at approximately 10 p.m.

The extreme heat that has been in the Columbia Gorge over the last few days has been rough for cherry orchardists in the region.  Oregon State University Extension Agent Ashley Thompson says the cherry harvest was very good early on, but the high, sustained heat is stressful on the fruit and the trees.  She says later varieties can be significantly impacted.  Thompson says the heat causes the cherries to lose firmness, and stem retention goes down.  Thompson adds good irrigation management is key to helping protect the fruit during the heat.  She also says Mid-Columbia Agricultural Research and Extension Center is studying other heat protection methods, including using shade cloth and using a clay based product to surround and protect the fruit.    

The Columbia Gorge Hustlers five-game winning streak came to an end on the road Tuesday evening as they were swept by the Yakima Beetles in a doubleheader in central Washington.  Yakima won the opener 4-3 and the nightcap 9-3.  The Hustlers are now 12-6 on the season heading into a tournament at Mt. Spokane High School on Thursday and Friday.

The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center puts the size of fire burning in wheat fields near 6412 Wrentham Road just south of Mason Road in Wasco County at 10,000 acres.  Strong winds continued to push the fire…with overnight reports of some fire starts to the south and southeast of the fire.  Reported boundaries going into the night included Wrentham Market Road north to Highway 138 to Highway 114 and south on Hastings Ridge Road.  Crews from Columbia Rural Fire Protection, Dufur, Tygh Valley, Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue, Wamic, Hood River, Dallesport, the Oregon Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, and Dallesport-Murdock are involved in the firefighting effort.  The Oregon State Fire Marshal on-scene authorized 2 task forces and air assets including two fire bosses and a heavy tanker to be deployed.  The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Team will be taking over management of the fire this morning.  Wasco County Sheriff’s Office reports a Level 3 Evacuation for the area around 6412 Wrentham Rd extending 5 miles, including Wrentham, Ridge, Atkinson, Stuber, Fulton, Long Hollow, Robert Market, Summit Ridge, and Hastings roads along with Boyd Loop.  The Sheriff’s Office says about 70 to 100 residents live in the evacuation area.  The Sheriff’s Office added that going into the night 20 residential buildings and outbuildings were threatened, one barn had been destroyed, and one dwelling was saved.  The fire was first observed around 1:45 p.m.  Plumes from the fire could be seen from The Dalles and Hood River.

The City of Hood River has declared an emergency ban on the use of personal fireworks effective immediately due to extremely hot weather and drought conditions.  A City ordinance already specifically prohibits the discharge of fireworks after July 15th until November 15th.  The emergency order means personal fireworks use will not be allowed again within the City of Hood River until November 16.  Hood River Fire Chief Leonard Damian told City Councilors on Monday night that along with the dry conditions that are conducive to fire, the return of tourists to the area starts to stretch local emergency resources thin.  Damian said it would be smart to eliminate one risk factor, particularly with a number of wildland-urban interface areas in the City.  Annually, the City of Hood River would prohibit the sale and use of fireworks beginning on July 8.