TROUTDALE -- The parking lot at Multnomah Falls usually offers a picturesque view of one of Oregon's premier outdoor attractions, but the gaze Tuesday showed little else but heavy smoke, some flames and an extended firetruck ladder.

Flames from the Eagle Creek fire threatened the historic lodge at the bottom of the falls, but hadn't touched it yet. Multiple firetrucks were on the scene and fire crews were working to protect the historic building, originally completed in 1925.

Air quality was dismal, with ash falling from the sky and smoke limiting views of the 620-foot falls, Oregon's highest waterfall, and nearby Columbia River. More than 2 million people visit the falls each year, making it the most popular natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest, according to the U.S. Forest Service

Lt. Damon Simmons, a spokesman for the state fire marshal, said it's "pretty surreal to see that area on fire."

"You see fire above and working its way through those areas where those beautiful falls are, and it's pretty heartbreaking," he said.

The wildfire started Saturday and is burning across more than 10,000 acres of the gorge.

Strong winds overnight pushed the blaze 12 miles to the west, sparking a fire in Washington and prompting mandatory evacuations of multiple east Multnomah County communities.

A stretch of Interstate 84 is closed. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office ferried reporters down the closed interstate to Multnomah Falls on Tuesday morning, and the media group stopped in the landmark's parking lot in the middle of the interstate to observe the fire.

The red and blue dots indicate hot spots detected by satellites. The dark red area is the Eagle Creek fire first reported Saturday. The pink area is the Indian Creek fire that's burned since July 4. Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, NASA

No structures have been reported burned, said Lt. Chad Gaidos, a sheriff's office spokesman.

On Sunday, the Oregon State Police said it had identified a suspect whose "misuse of fireworks" might have sparked the blaze. The agency hasn't released any additional information about its investigation.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

Noelle Crombie of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report