Rowena Fire
Information
Update
August 7, 2014
Evacuation Update:
Level-3
4595 Hwy 30 west to 6464 Hwy 30, including Simonelli Rd, Tooley Terrace, Adeline Way.
Level-1
Murray's Addition, Foley Lakes, residences along Chenowith Loop West. Also Division Street Development residences along Seven mile Road.
Fire At A Glance Size: 2,645 acres Location:
The Dalles, OR
Containment: 0%
Cause: Under Investigation
Personnel: 431
Estimated Cost:
$937,000
Evacuations and Road Closures: Wasco
County Sheriff
Evacuation Hotline:
541-506-
2792
Closures/Restrictions:
Hwy 30 between The Dalles
Country Club
and Rowena
Media
Only Contact Phone:
503-793-1993
Based
on infrared imaging, last night the fire grew from approximately 150 acres at
about 11:00 a.m. Wednesday to its
current size
of approximately 2,645 acres. It
made a significant
run eastward from its
point of origin west of Rowena towards The
Dalles.
The flaming front was clearly visible to the community and from
the Incident
Command
Post located at Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue’s station in The
Dalles.
Significant
work was completed overnight, and
dozer constructed containment
line
now confines the fires eastern edge
in a
rough line connecting Foley Lakes to 7 Hill Road. Incident
Commander
John Buckman commented
on last night’s action:
“The integration
between OSFM and ODF provided the
needed resources
to address both the wildland and
structural protection
components of the incident.
Structural protection
Three structure protection
task forces from Washington,
Yamhill,
and
Columbia Counties mobilized
under the Oregon
State Conflagration Act
arrived at
the
fire mid-morning yesterday and were
assigned to relieve local firefighting crews
in protecting the
Level III evacuated homes along Hwy 30. Those resources did a tremendous job saving homes while battling winds and heavy fire activity throughout the day and evening. It was
quickly realized that additional resources were
going to be needed so an additional three task forces were brought in
from Multnomah, Clackamas, and
Marion Counties and were assigned
to relieve the
day
shift task forces so that
their good work
could continue through
the night.
During the blowup
yesterday evening,
all
task forces were
immediately deployed
to the Seven Mile area to help
protect homes in conjunction with the evacuations
that were taking place by the Wasco
County Sheriffs
Office. Approximately 300 structures were protected by the six
task forces.
Crews are heading back
out to
the fire line this morning
and will continue to
evaluate and prioritize the
most threatened ones while maintaining
awareness of conditions forecasted
to be similar to yesterday.
Evacuations
A Level 3 evacuation remains
in effect for 275 dwellings as
ordered
by
the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office would
like
to thank the public for their
support and cooperation during the evacuations
last night.
An evacuation
shelter has been set up by the Red
Cross at Dry
Hollow Elementary School located
at 1314 E 19th,
The Dalles, OR.
Today’s fire strategy
Today, fire control work will focus on reinforcing
containment
lines on the
eastern edge of the
fire, securing the northwest end
of the fire and continuing structural
protection along
Highway 30
and other residences.
Public Meeting
A public information meeting is
scheduled for
7:00 pm at The Dalles/Wahtonka High School located 220
East 10th Street
in The Dalles.
This meeting is
open to all members
of the public and media. Fire managers will provide a
current status
update and be available to address
questions
and concerns.
Unified Command
The
fire is being managed
under a unified command
between the
Oregon
State Fire Marshal’s
Office and Oregon Department of Forestry. This Unified Command is working for ODF Central
Oregon District,
Columbia
Gorge National
Scenic Area and
Mid Columbia Fire & Rescue.
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