Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue officials are investigating both the Sunset Valley Fire and the fire at the Port of The Dalles Marina to determine causes, but Chief Bob Palmer warns it’s a challenge to come up with definitive answers because the fire itself can destroy evidence.  He says often they can rule out causes, and come up with the most probable cause.  Palmer notes the nature of the marina fire being on water complicates that investigation.  Palmer adds the Office of the Oregon Fire Marshal is assisting in the Marina investigation, and there are several insurance companies involved as well along with Special Districts of Oregon.  The Wrentham Market Fire is being investigated by the state fire marshal’s office.  

The focus remains on containment of any fuel lost as a result of Saturday night’s fire at the Port of The Dalles Marina that impacted eight boathouses and four boats.  Port Executive Director Andrea Klaas says the company U.S. Ecology put in containment booms to keep everything in one area, and they are working with insurance companies on salvage, which should start soon.  Klaas says the marina and guest moorage are now open and operational after being closed to allow for emergency response after the fire.  

Columbia Gorge Habitat for Humanity is taking applications for the organization’s next home build in The Dalles.  Volunteer Construction Site Manager Don Wanzek says applicants must have a need for adequate housing, meet income guidelines and be able to repay a Habitat mortgage, and be willing to partner with Habitat for Humanity in the project by completing 350 hours of “sweat equity” in the program.  The next house will be built on a lot on 13th and Kelly in The Dalles.  Informational meetings are scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. at Sorosis Park in The Dalles.  Applications will be taken until August 7.  For more information, call 541-296-8817.

People who use Highway 14 just east of Goldendale between Wood Creek and Alderdale Road should plan ahead for daytime delays as work to resurface a nearly 18-mile stretch of the highway starts this week.  The Washington Department of Transportation says crews are resurfacing the road and applying a watertight bond.  Intermittent daytime single lane closures with flaggers and a pilot car in both directions of the highway will be in place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.  Motorists should expect delays of up to 20 minutes.  Bicyclists will be transported through the work zone when workers are present and motorcyclists should use extreme caution due to loose gravel on the roadway.  Once resurfacing has cured, crews will stripe and add pavement reflectors set into the surface of the roadway, which hold up to winter weather and snow plowing better than reflectors installed on top of the pavement.

Work continues on hot spots and mop up of the Sunset Valley Fire just east of The Dalles.  Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Team Public Information Officer Stefan Myers says fire officials were happy with the progress made last night on the fire first reported around 3:45 p.m. Thursday on the 3100 block of Valley View Drive, noting this fire burned hot and fast as it was pushed to the southeast over Highway 197 by strong wind.  Myers says there was plenty of work to be done today to remove hot spots and snags.  Oregon Governor Kate Brown did invoke the Conflagration Act for this fire to allow the state fire marshal to assist local authorities.  Myers says the fire damaged a barn, several outbuildings, multiple vehicles, and a portion of a cherry orchard, but firefighters were able to protect the homes in the area and no injuries have been reported.  Level 2 and Level 1 evacuation advisories established by the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office last night remained in place this morning.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue was the lead agency in responding the fire, joined by the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office, Dallesport, Dufur, Mosier, Columbia Rural Fire Protection, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and task forces from Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, and Hood River counties.     Improved mapping has reduced the size of the Wrentham Market Fire to 7,222 acres.  Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Team Public Information Officer Stefan Myers says crews are closing in on full containment.  Myers said investigators from the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office were to be at the fire location today as they try to determine what caused the fire to start on Tuesday.  A barn was lost in the fire.   Size of the Rattlesnake Fire on Bureau of Land Management managed lands in the area of South Junction campground and the Warm Springs Reservation is now estimated at 5,000 acres with 10% containment.  According a statement from the BLM and Warm Springs Fire Management, crews feel confident about lines on the reservation and have started mop up stages while progressing into the interior of the fire.  To the north and northwest across the Deschutes River, hand crews worked with heavy air tanker support to tie lines together utilizing retardant drops.  The eastern flank is in difficult terrain, with air resources working steeper and inaccessible drainages while crews used dozers and burned out some interior islands.  The south flank is also active in grass and shrub fuels.  Trout Creek campground and boat ramp on the Deschutes River is under a Level 2 evacuation advisory, and boaters are advised not to use the ramp as a put-in or take-out at this time.  South Junction road and campground are closed.   Warm Springs Fire Management says the S-503 Fire has reached 98% containment.  The fire is now in mop up and monitor status with minimal activity.  Firefighters have been working on cooling hot spots and advancing into the interior of the fire’s containment line for several days.  The fire burned 6,822 acres on the Warm Springs Reservation and privately owned in-holdings protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry.  

Hood River County has joined the list of jurisdictions in the Columbia River Gorge to ban fireworks due to the extreme hot and windy conditions the area is experiencing.  County Commissioners voted to prohibit the use of personal fireworks until July 14.  Commissioner Les Perkins pointed out a discussion he had with state forestry officials underlined the fire danger in the area, noting conditions don’t usually become this dry until August.  Commissioner Bob Benton was the only board member opposed to the ban, saying he would have preferred issuing guidance rather than a ban.  Earlier this week the City of Hood River, The Dalles, and Wasco County took similar actions.  The City of White Salmon also banned fireworks on the Fourth of July, the only day of the summer they would be legal to use.

It’s going to be a busy Fourth of July in the region on Sunday.  Fort Dalles Fourth has a full day of events planned in The Dalles.  It will start at 7 a.m. with the Rocket Run, 3K, 5K, or 10K, leaving from the Bargeway Pub, to enter go to fortdallesfourth.com.  At 8 a.m. there will be a community breakfast at Bargeway Pub sponsored by Cochenour Builders, followed by the Hometown USA 4th of July parade sponsored by Columbia Gorge Toyota and Honda going through downtown The Dalles at 10 a.m.  The Fort Dalles Fourth Fireworks Show begins at 10 p.m.  Complete information is available at fortdallesfourth.com.  In White Salmon, the Fourth of July Parade begins at 1 p.m. at Tohomish and Center to go down Jewett Boulevard and end at Rheingarten Park.  There will be games and other fund after the parade at 2 p.m., including live music by the 204th Army Marching Band and Harmony of the Gorge.  In Hood River, there will be a Fourth of July Parade sponsored by Gorge Realty Group on the Heights at 10 a.m., leaving from 12th and Pacific and ending at the Hood River Aquatic Center, and then the Eyeopeners Lions Club will hold its annual fireworks show at the waterfront at dusk.

The Eagle Creek Recreation Area and the Eagle Creek Trail have reopened following months of comprehensive repairs to multiple parts of the trail and a major clean-up and removal of debris following the aftermath of an atmospheric river that inundated the Northwest in mid-January followed by a landslide that took place in February.  The Forest Service partnered with the Pacific Crest Trail Association to address damage sustained along the Eagle Creek Trail.   PCTA volunteers and Forest Service trail crew removed dozens of fallen trees and hundreds of cubic yards of material from the trail and trailhead.  The Forest Service crew also reconstructed a large crib wall taking roughly 200 hours to complete.  A contractor was hired to remove approximately 4,000 cubic yards of debris that had slid down the mountainside, blocking the entrance to Eagle Creek Trail.

Some Port of Hood River properties along the Columbia River will be closed at times this weekend to allow for the annual Fourth of July fireworks show.  The Spit will close at noon on Saturday, and remain closed until Monday at noon.  Access to the Sandbar from the Event Site and the sandy area of Marina Beach will be closed at 7 p.m. on Sunday.  The Port of Hood River is also reminding people that fireworks are prohibited on all of their properties.  The City dock in The Dalles is going to be closed to the public Saturday and Sunday to allow for cruise ships that will be coming in.

Travelers on Interstate 84 next week should expect nighttime ramp closures between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday nights in Hood River.  The closures will be at I-84 east Exit 63 on-ramp and Exit 64 east off-ramp, and I-84 west Exit 64 on-ramp and Exit 63 west off-ramp.  Crews are completing the first phase of construction work to repair and replace bridge decks on the I-84 bridges over Hood River. The schedule is subject to change and weather dependent.