A wildfire in Oregon engulfed hundreds of acres of land on Wednesday and currently threatens hundreds of homes in Columbia River Gorge.
According to the Office of the Wasco County Sheriff, they received reports of a blaze in the town od Mosier at around 5:00 PM that day. Mosier is about 70 miles east of Portland.
Late Wednesday night, Governor Kate Brown of Oregon, made an emergency declaration to get more available resources for battle the blaze.
In a tweet, the governor also called to the citizens of Oregon to be more vigilant and cautious, and to also honor the imposed burn bans. She also reminded them that it is critical that wildfires are prevented from this year.
The sheriff's office has stated that at least 500 acres of land have now been scorched by the fire. The situation has already prompted responses from both regional and local fire departments.
Moreover, it was stated by the sheriff's office that the crew will continue to patrol on the area overnight and work on containing the blaze. People have also been advised to refrain from entering the said area in order to not affect the work of those trying to suppress the fire.
Meanwhile, Oregon Department of Forestry spokesperson, Christine Shaw stated during an interview with Oregon Live that fire started just as crews were already mopping up a separate fire that happened near the area along Interstate 84. She said that the said blaze was contained after it only burnt two acres.
However, the second fire was not easily contained s it was fanned by a strong wind. The sheriff's office released an order for the evacuation of people who live in the area at around 6 PM. While other residents were asked to be prepared for possible evacuation.
According to Fox News, the fire quickly spread from just 50 acres to 200 acres and has reached 500 acres in juts a span of two hours.
Brown also said that the blaze threatens around 300 homes. Thus, residents hailing from Osburne Cutoff, Dry Creek, Vensel, Catron, Morgenson, Carroll, and from Chenoweth Airport to Vensel/Ketchum road were all given several evacuation orders.
In an interview with one resident that lived in the evacuation zone, Karyn Hart, she stated that she was already heading home when she saw smoke. She then rushed to her house and packed up her valuables into her car.
She also said that her friend is one of the water bomber pilots who are trying to extinguish the fire, adding that he assured her that he made sure to dump a lot of water into the near end of the ranch. She also stated that her friend said that the wind is starting to settle, thus it would be easier to get the fire under control.
Meanwhile, Oregon State Fire Marshal said that it will be assuming the command over the blaze by Thursday morning and will be working on bringing more resources from surrounding counties.
The office of the governor also stated that fire danger levels will be rising in the state with its trend warming into the weekend.
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