The Eagle Creek Fire is approximately 36,636 acres and is 13 percent contained. The fire remains within established contingency planning lines and firefighters will continue to attack the fire by air as weather permits to slow its spread. Warmer, dry winds picked up yesterday evening, increasing fire behavior. On the northeast corner, the fire crossed Herman Creek into the Camp Creek drainage about two to three miles south of Interstate 84 (I-84). The fire ran approximately three miles to Nick Eaton Ridge with some spots toward Gordon Creek.
Crews are also establishing and strengthening contingency lines along the power line corridor east of Cascade Locks to Shellrock Mountain and from Mitchell Point to Wahtum Lake. These measures are in place to protect communities and the I-84 corridor. On the eastern end where the fire crossed Herman Creek, planners anticipate continued active fire behavior, though cooler temperatures and higher humidity predicted for the remainder of the week should help slow its spread.
Continued moderate to active fire behavior on the southeast corner will produce more smoke through the day. Residents can expect to see smoke from these actively burning areas within the fire's perimeter.
Evacuation Levels (via Hood River County Sheriff's Office as of 9/13 at 12:00 p.m.):
The Cascade Locks area level 3 notices are being rolled back to level 2. This means that all of the Cascade Locks area is now at level 2. The Sheriff's Office would like to caution those returning to their homes that they should still be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.
Evacuation zone A4a has been upgraded to level 3, meaning residents should evacuate immediately. This zone runs along the I-84 corridor, from exit 47 and exit 56. This evacuation generally covers the Wyeth/Herman Creek Road area, including the tribal fishing in-lieu site.
Evacuation zone A4b has been upgraded to level 2, meaning residents should be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice. This zone includes all residences west of Country Club Road from Frankton Road to York Hill Road, and all residences on the north and west side of York Hill Road. All residences on I-84 from mile post 57 to mile post 61, including Morton Road and Mitchell Point Road, are also included in the level 2 A4b zone.
A weak mid level low pressure will develop across the area late tonight and Thursday morning. This could result in a few light showers across our southeastern half of the county late tonight and Thursday morning, but confidence in this occurring is low at this point. Otherwise, additional weak upper level troughs will slide across the area through Saturday, keeping temperatures generally near seasonal averages with little in the way of precipitation. A change to cooler and wetter weather still looks on track for the extended forecast, which should help firefighters continue to make gains.
ODOT is working closely with fire officials to determine when westbound lanes of I-84 can reopen. Eastbound I-84 will remain closed at least another week-- the minimum time required to complete rock removal. The Historic Columbia River Highway remains closed with no schedule to reopen.