Skamania County, Washington (KPTV) – The fires raging through the Columbia River Gorge led to the closure of State Route 14 for several hours on Wednesday. Additionally,
fire on the eastern side of Oregon
, leading to the closure of I-84, essentially halting east-west travel through the Gorge.
Authorities stated that the blazes initially began as two separate small fires and have been designated as the Grant Lake Fire and the Sand Hill Fire.
The Department of Natural Resources reports that the Sand Hill fire has expanded to approximately 40 acres, while the Grant Lake fire now covers about 10 acres, and efforts to control both blazes have shown some advancement.
Strong winds exacerbated the fires, leading to Level 2 and Level 1 evacuation orders for residents in the affected zones. For more information regarding the specific evacuation areas, please refer to the provided resources.
The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page
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Around 3:30 PM, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced that the highway was shut down in both directions from Wind River Road (milepost 47) to Collins State Pit (milepost 53) within Skamania County.
The SR-14 was opened to all vehicles shortly before 6 a.m. on Thursday.
The fires on the Washington side were reported by authorities at approximately 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
People in the region expressed concerns that the occurrence of these fires at this time might lead to increased peril in the near future.
“This could be the start of a disastrous summer,” remarked Home Valley resident Randall Nieto.
“Far too soon, much too soon to begin this. Typically, they kick off towards the latter part of July or sometime in August, but we’re only at the beginning of June,” remarked her husband, Jane Nieto’s spouse.
They both live in an RV park close to the Sand Hill Fire and mentioned that the fire became so large they were worried it might spread to their location.
“There was a significant amount of smoke, and it appeared much nearer than it actually was. It seemed as though it might have been just one block away. Yes, that was quite frightening,” stated Jane.
The origin of the fire remains unclear, however, a local inhabitant mentioned certain elements that exacerbated the situation.
“We didn’t receive adequate snowfall this winter, and I continue to believe that conditions remain very dry. In my opinion, we haven’t had sufficient rainfall since April, so there are several contributing factors,” stated Randall.
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Authorities issued a level two evacuation warning for those living close to the fires. Many mentioned that it was simple to stay united and face these challenges together.
“Everyone is keeping an eye on everyone at this moment,” stated Home Valley resident Greg Izay.
In a countryside setting such as this, it requires everybody to combat these wildfires.
“Many of the local firefighting teams consist of volunteers who typically hold regular nine-to-five jobs. They must leave work, reach the fire station, and then head out with the equipment to tackle the blaze. This process consumes valuable time during which fires can spread,” explained Randall.
As crews continue to fight the two fires, many expressed their deep gratitude for the assistance received and noted considerable advancement over the course of the day.
“Those people are amazing they’re on the frontlines whether they are on the ground or on the air that’s how this keeps from becoming a tragedy,” said Izay.
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