Ferocious Wildfire Forces Mass Evacuation in Oregon

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC HAZARDS
RISING TEMPERATURES
DROUGHT
DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRES
STATE OF EMERGENCY
MAIN SCENARIOS 900, 800,797, 777, 555, 444, 311, 111, 101, 100, 070, 03, 02
.

Hundreds of Oregon homes evacuated, hundreds more on standby; shuts highway 

A fast moving wildfire, dubbed Rowena Fire, has exploded to more than 2,000 acres in the Columbia River Gorge in northern Oregon, forcing hundreds of homes to evacuate, while more than 600 additional residences are put on standby for possible evacuation.

The blaze has spread from the community of Rowena to outskirts of the city of The Dalles, threating to shut down additional sections of  U.S. Highway 30.

Oregon Governor Kitzhaber invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act at 1:05 a.m. on Wednesday, August 6 in response to the fire, which was threatening 70 homes in the Gorge.

The fire started Tuesday evening six miles west of The Dalles and has since grown 10 folds.

“Today I’m outside of Ashland seeing firsthand the devastation caused by fires in the Beaver Complex. This new blaze in the Columbia River Gorge is equally concerning, and already it threatens Oregonians’ homes and puts lives at risk,” said Kitzhaber.

More than a dozen wildfires are burning across at least 100,000 acres in Oregon, forcing public lands to close. A major power transmission line to Idaho lies in the path of the fires, officials said.

Dozens of wildfires are also plaguing the US West Coast, including the drought-stricken state of California, and Washington.

Washington Wildfires

Meanwhile, a wildfire burning close to a city in central Washington state expanded rapidly over the past day, threatening more homes and structures.

The Snag Canyon Fire, burning outside the city of Ellensburg [population: ~ 20,000,] had grown to about 8,500 acres on Thursday, up from 3,500 on Tuesday, destroying at least 16 structures and forcing mandatory evacuation orders for  250 homes.

• Washington Hansel Fire (FM-5072)- Fire Management Assistance Declaration declared on August 6, 2014
• Washington Snag Canyon Fire (FM-5071)- Fire Management Assistance Declaration declared on August 3, 2014

Related Links

• States of Emergency Continue in California, Oregon, Washington August 5, 2014