The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District, including Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties, is implementing a regulated-use closure effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday on private, municipal and state lands protected by ODF.  Assistant District Forester Rob Pentzer says fire activity has shown a significant potential for rapid fire growth, and the district is looking to reduce potential fire starts from high risk activities.  For information on regulations associated with closure, go to odfcentraloregon.com.  Beginning on Sunday open burning, including burn barrels in Hood River and Wasco counties, will be prohibited.

Estimated containment of the Boxcar Fire has increased to 85%, with the Jack Knife Fire up to 95%.  The Boxcar Fire south of Maupin is now listed as 100,207 acres in size, with the Jack Knife Fire at 15,676 acres, but fire officials say there was no significant growth Tuesday, with the small increase in acreage due to more accurate mapping.  A number of resources are being released to other fires in the West, with management shifting from a Type 2 to a Type 3 team on Thursday morning. All roads in the vicinity of Maupin are open and the Deschutes River is open to recreation.

The City of Hood River is about to do a planned study of summer season parking issues in the downtown area.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says he signed the contract for the work last week, which will follow up on an off-season study done this past winter.  Mayor Paul Blackburn says they are trying to get data to guide future parking plans.  Wheeler says a committee has begun to meet to discuss downtown parking issues.

The North Wasco County School District 21 board met with various community stakeholders this week in a worksession to discuss facilities usage.  D-21 has a high level of demand from various community organizations for both its buildings and athletic fields, while also needing to accommodate its own needs.  Superintendent Candy Armstrong says the worksession brought to the surface issues that need to be addressed, including better management of facilities use requests.  Armstrong says they are also strengthening their partnership with the Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation District.

It appears the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department is willing to provide funding to repair the North boat ramp at Pine Hollow Reservoir.  Wasco County Commissioner Scott Hege says he got word of that at a meeting Tuesday in Wamic with the Oregon State Marine Board, which is funding work on the South ramp.  Hege says work on the North ramp has been recommended by a committee to the full state Fish and Wildlife board, and approval is expected.  Both ramps at the popular fishing and water sports location have been in need of repair, and the recently formed South Wasco Parks and Recreation District has been working with the County to obtain the state funding.

A 46-year-old Washougal man has died as the result of injuries suffered earlier this month in a motor vehicle accident on Highway 14 in Skamania County.  The Washington State Patrol reports that Robert S. Herington died early Tuesday morning at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.  The accident occurred on June 10 on Highway 14 at milepost 29 about three miles west of Skamania.  According to the WSP, Herington was driving eastbound when he tried to pass another vehicle and lost control when merging back into the eastbound lane.  His car struck a tree on the eastbound shoulder, and then rolled.  

A wildfire that reached the southwest edge of Rufus on Monday night is estimated to be about 95 percent contained today.  Sherman County Sheriff’s Sergeant James Burgett says the fire that started around 9:15 p.m. was “right at people’s backyards.”  Burgett said as of this morning there were a couple of small areas of fire remaining, but all threats to homes and structures have been dealt with.  People were evacuated in the area of the Rufus RV Park during the peak of the fire, but they have been able to return to their homes.  Power is out in Biggs as a result of the fire, and Pacific Power reports crews are working on restoring electricity to that area, estimating restoration before 9:30 p.m.  Size of the fire is now estimated at 485 acres.  The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating to determine the cause of the fire.  Burgett says there were no major injuries as a result of the fire, but there were some reports of smoke inhalation.  North Sherman Fire, South Sherman Fire, Klickitat County fire departments, and the Bureau of Land Management were involved in the firefighting effort.

Cooler weather on Monday helped firefighters continue to build and improve containment lines on the Boxcar and Jack Knife Fires.  Estimated containment for the Boxcar Fire has increased to 60% and for the Jack Knife Fire to 80%.  The Boxcar Fire is now 99,500 acres in size, with more than 100 miles of containment line on the fire being monitored by firefighters who mop-up hotspots as they are found.  Emphasis is still being directed in the Deschutes River Canyon, where steep, rocky, inaccessible terrain is a challenge for firefighters in this area.  On Monday afternoon some active fire between Highway 197 and Bakeoven Road was suppressed with helicopter water drops, but smoke in the fire area was minimal in comparison to past days, with a few sources well within the fire’s perimeter.  The Jack Knife Fire remains at 14,772 acres.  Firefighters continued to search for hotspots yesterday, but little to no heat or smoke was found within the fire perimeter.  Fire officials say this will be a relatively benign weather day, with opportunity to complete firefighting tasks.

Volunteers were able to finish construction on the play structure at Hood River’s Children’s Park over the weekend, and now only the “poured-in-place” rubber surfacing must be installed before it can be opened.  Mayor Paul Blackburn said it was a tremendous community effort to finish the build portion of the project.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says the park can’t open until the soft rubberized surfacing is installed, plus there is clean-up work to do.  Wheeler says July 28 is the tentative grand opening date for the park.

North Central Public Health District is reminding residents of Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam Counties to take precautions to avoid illness during periods of wildfire smoke inhalation.  Visit the Oregon Smoke Blog and the DEQ Air Quality Index websites to monitor air conditions.  DEQ air quality monitoring data is updated hourly and is color-coded for easy to read information, with a permanent monitor located in The Dalles.  Avoid working or exercising outdoors when air quality is poor, stay indoors and close doors and windows during smoky periods, and drink plenty of water.