Click here to listen to an interview with Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Team Public Information Officer Stefan Myers on Mid-Columbia Today The Sunset Valley Fire is now listed at 987 acres in size this morning. Stefon Myers of the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office says they do not have a containment figure at this time, but said fire officials were happy with the work crews were able to do, adding there are still a number of hot spots to deal with and mop up work to do.  The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in its morning briefing listed containment at 30%.  Myers says there have been no reports of injuries or homes lost, but also said there were barns, outbuildings, vehicles, and a portion of a cherry orchard lost to the fire.  The fire was first reported around 3:45 p.m. on the 3100 block of Valley View Drive.  The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office says strong winds pushed the fire in a southeast direction, eventually to the east side of Highway 197.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue is the responding agency, but the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office temporarily assigned task forces from the nearby Wrentham Market Fire to rapidly engage the Sunset Valley Fire.  OSFM also ordered air support and three additional task forces to help support local resources.  The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office last night downgraded evacuation advisories for Old Dufur Road to its intersection with 13th, Benson Road, the Highway 197/5 mile intersection to the 5 mile/Benson Intersection, Valley View Road, and 8 Mile and Highway 97 to 8 Mile and Emerson Loop were placed at a Level 2 “Get Set” for the night, and the advisory for Lambert Street remained at Level 1.   The Wrentham Market Fire now has a containment figure of 78 percent.  A Northwest Interagency Coordination Center report this morning revised the size of the fire down to 7,222 acres thanks to improved mapping.  There was minimal fire activity reported on Thursday.  Public Information Officer Stefon Myers from the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office Red Team says they are closing in on full containment, with work focused on the Jamison Canyon area.  Myers said one barn was lost in the fire.   The Rattlesnake Fire was estimated at 4,700 acres with 20% 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 evacuation order in place for residences near the junction of Highways 97 and 197.

A ten-year-old girl from Portland drowned after falling out of a raft in Hood River’s Nichols Boat Basin on Wednesday afternoon.  Hood River County Sheriff Matt English says the girl was riding in the raft at about 2 p.m. with another family acquaintance.  She was not wearing a personal flotation device at the time.  A search was conducted by the Sheriff’s Office, Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Enforcement, Oregon State Police, Hood River Police, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, local fire and EMS crews, and the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office.  The child’s body was recovered approximately three hours later in about ten feet of water by the Skamania County Dive Team.

The Wrentham Market Fire now has a containment figure of 38 percent after very little growth was reported overnight.  Public Information Officer Brian Richardson from the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office Red Team says the size of the fire east of Dufur remains at approximately 10,000 acres, with work planned today to do improved mapping.  Richardson says there was increased fire activity on the north and south boundaries of the fire with several flare-ups, and they are watching for them again today.  He adds the state fire marshal’s office has entered into a unified command with the Bureau of Land Management.  BLM has brought in two 20-person hand crews to assist in the firefighting effort.  Level 3 evacuation notices for the area issued by the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office remain in effect.  Fire officials have confirmed one barn and outbuilding were destroyed by the fire.

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.