WEDNESDAY'S UPDATED POST: Eagle Creek ravages Columbia gorge for 5th day

Strong winds overnight pushed the Eagle Creek wildfire 12 miles westward, sparking a fire in Washington, prompting mandatory evacuations of multiple east Multnomah County communities and coating the region in an ashy film.

Multnomah County Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury early Tuesday declared a state of emergency for the eastern part of the county.

The declaration allows county leaders to request additional resources to battle the blaze, which continues to burn unchecked in the Columbia River Gorge, a national scenic area and one of the state's premier outdoor attractions.

No injuries have been reported and no homes or structures have been damaged. State officials said firefighters worked overnight to protect the historic lodge at Multnomah Falls.

Many area schools are closing or letting out early due to wildfire dangers, poor air quality and heat issues.

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Tristan Fortsch/KATU-TV via AP

We're wrapping up this live blog for Tuesday.The Eagle Creek fire is still at zero percent containment, and could continue to move as winds shift Tuesday night.

Our list of closures includes some schools that already called off class and activities Wednesday.

We have also updated our rundown on evacuations through the evening.

Check back at the crack of dawn Wednesday morning for news about all of that, plus updates about the fire's movement overnight.

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Noelle Crombie | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Fire grows to 20,000, Eagle Creek and Indian Creek fires merged

Fire officials say the Eagle Creek fire burning along the Columbia River Gorge is estimated to cover 20,000 acres, doubling in size since early Tuesday.

The Eagle Creek and Indian Creek fires have merged; a related spot fire in Washington now stands at an estimated 30,000 acres.

Officials said firefighters protected the historic lodge at Multnomah Falls by keeping the building wet.

“Firefighters had a good day out there,” said Ian Yocum, incident commander with the Oregon State Fire Marshal

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Noelle Crombie | The Oregonian/OregonLive

East wind winds down; ashy fallout from Eagle Creek fire should end

Wednesday starts out with a bit of good news: Ash from the wildfires in the Columbia River Gorge is expected to end, the National Weather Service says.

East winds have now come to an end in all areas near the #EagleCreekFire. Therefore, ash fall in PDX metro should be about over. — NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) September 6, 2017

-- The Oregonian

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Mark Graves

The U.S. Coast Guard closed the Columbia River on Tuesday evening through the night to all marine traffic for 20 miles. The agency decided the falling hot ash and firefighting aircraft landings made conditions unsafe on the river between Reed Island just before Corbett and Bonneville Dam to the east.

Fire crews are using the river as a source of water to spray on the fire, so any other marine vessels could get in the way.

The closure Tuesday is not supposed to impact any commercial ships. The local Coast Guard office will reevaluate Wednesday morning whether to keep the safety zone in place.

The closure is being broadcast on marine VHF radio channels 16 and 22A. Call Sector Columbia River Command Center at 503-861-6211 with any concerns.

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KATU-TV

During an evening news conference, Lt. Damon Simmons said the Eagle Creek fire is still estimated to have burned 10,000-plus acres, but is expected to grow overnight. Calmer winds from the east are in the forecast and crews hope that may slow the spread of flames, he said. “We’re ready for the worst, we’re hoping for the best,” Simmons said.

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Andrew Theen | The Oregonian/OregonLive

The National Weather Service in Portland says that relief in several forms might be on its way. First, winds that have been blowing ash and smoke into Portland are expected to shift west over night, so that air quality will slowly start to improve as early as Wednesday morning.

The high temperature is supposed to be 85 degrees, a dip from several days of 90 degrees and above.

Wednesday evening, there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms, which would be the first in months.

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Photo courtesy Arianna Frye/@arifrye

Gov. Kate Brown said during a Tuesday afternoon briefing in Troutdale that officials are concerned about risks to the Bonneville power grid and Bull Run Watershed, as well as the gorge itself.

“Obviously our top priority is to protect Oregonians and public safety, and of course Washingtonians as well,” she said. “Second, critical infrastructure. In terms of the gorge, it is a special place for many of us, and we are very concerned about the impact of this fire. It’s looking roughly around 10,000 acres at this point, and the conditions are very intense.”

She said officials have seen “unprecedented runs” in the fire — 13 miles in 16 hours. The fire, whose cause is under investigation, is completely uncontained.

When asked what she’d like to see happen to the person or people responsible, Brown said she “would expect that they be held fully accountable for what has happened.”

“But I think more broadly it’s a lesson for all of us, in terms of how we go about our daily lives and the potential impact on … surrounding communities and our environment. We are under very dry conditions right now, and whether it’s a cigarette, a lawnmower, a car off the road — people need to be extremely careful.”

Brown said officials are dedicating all available resources to the fire, as well as the Chetco Bar fire near Brookings and other blazes in central Oregon.

“Do we need more? Certainly,” she said of firefighting resources. “We’re using everything that we have available to us.”

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Courtesy of ODFW

600,000 salmon released: Flames from the Eagle Creek Fire approach the Cascade Hatchery at Cascade Locks (above). The Eagle Creek fire forced Oregon fish officials to release more than 600,000 hatchery salmon on Tuesday, some six months earlier than expected.

Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife had to evacuate the 23 employees at the three hatchery facilities in Cascade Locks as a result of the Columbia River Gorge blaze. The Bonneville, Oxbow and Cascade hatcheries are home to some 6 million fish (mainly Coho and Chinook salmon). Bonneville's Hatchery is also the home of the Sturgeon Viewing Interpretive Center.

The state was forced to either release hundreds of thousands of five to six-inch hatchery fish now or risk losing them altogether, according to spokesman Ken Loffink. Tanner Creek, one of the water sources feeding a hatchery facility, was "literally engulfed in flames," Loffink said, and the intake pipes were clogged with ash and debris.

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Video: A brief overview of the Eagle Creek Fire so far.

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Mark Friesen

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

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Oregonian file photo

Water supply called safe: The Portland Water Bureau late Tuesday afternoon said the fire has entered the Bull Run Watershed but is not near the reservoirs that supplies Portland's drinking water.

The fire had not encroached on the watershed earlier Tuesday, officials said in the morning. The bureau said the joint fire command has been permitted "to dip into Blue Lake and other water sources inside the watershed with the exception of the reservoirs as needed to slow the spread of the fire."

Officials said the city's water continues to be safe to drink. Monitoring will continue, and the city said if needed it is prepared to switch to its secondary water supply at the Columbia South Shore Well Field.

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Beth Nakamura/Staff

Evacuees at shelters: As of Tuesday evening, about 400 people in Multnomah County and about 283 in Hood River County are under an immediate evacuation notice as the Eagle Creek wildfire spread throughout the day.

Some in Hood River are also on alert to be ready to evacuate, if needed.

Evacuees may head to Mt. Hood Community College, 3691 NE 17th Drive in Gresham, or Skamania County Fairgrounds, immediately across the Columbia River in Stevenson, Washington.

The raging Eagle Creek fire forced residents from their homes in the dead of night with time to grab just pets, clothes and birth certificates.

Evacuees at the Red Cross shelter at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham were dazed, in shock and sleep-deprived. Instead of going to work or school, they were living in limbo from their cars and vans, hoping to be able to return home soon.

Above, Red Cross cots are hauled into a makeshift shelter at Mt. Hood Community College.

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USDA/Forest Service

Elsewhere in Oregon: While the Eagle Creek fire threatened the Columbia River Gorge on Tuesday, several fires continued to devour timberland in other areas of Oregon, enveloping many areas in a smoky haze. The Chetco Bar fire near Brookings remained the largest wildfire in the state, having consumed an estimated 176,770 acres. Firefighters battled 24 fires in Oregon on Tuesday, officials said.

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Oregonian file photo

Trails, structures in danger: The Columbia River Gorge is full of historic structures and beloved trails, many of which are either already engulfed by flames, are in immediate danger, or are dangerously close to the boundary of the fire.



Damon Simmons, fire information officer with the Oregon State Fire Marshal, said firefighters from Portland and surrounding counties came in Monday night, and are prioritizing the historic structures in the area.



"As far as I know, none of those structures have been damaged," he said Tuesday morning.

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Video: Washington residents in gas masks watch Eagle Creek fire burn from Cape Horn.

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Jim Ryan/Staff

Bus service canceled: The Oregon Department of Transportation has canceled the Columbia Gorge Express bus service for this Friday through Sunday, said agency spokesman Don Hamilton. The bus line is set to operate Fridays through Sundays until the end of the month, and officials haven't decided whether there will be further cancellations.

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Mark Graves/Staff

10,000 acres on fire: The fire is now burning across an estimated 10,000 acres of the Columbia River Gorge, an event described by officials on Tuesday as unprecedented. Dramatic images of the gorge continued to emerge throughout the day, showing the national scenic area and premier outdoor attraction ravaged by wildfire.

"I think I can speak for all Oregonians when I say our hearts are breaking,” said Multnomah County Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury. “The gorge is Oregon’s crown jewel. It’s our playground and we are very, very sad.”

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Sadness over gorge fire: Oregonians took to social media to share their heartbreak for one of the Pacific Northwest's premier outdoor destinations.

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Oregonian file photo

Ash reminiscent of Mount St. Helens: The dusting of ash seen in the Portland area drew immediate comparisons on social media to the volcanic ash that fell after Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980.

While the wildfire ash is unsettling, it hardly compares to the amount that was dumped on the Pacific Northwest and beyond when Mount St. Helens erupted. It threw ash 80,000 feet into the air – so high that a cloud was carried around the Earth for 15 days. Cities east of the mountain saw some of the heaviest ash fall, with places like Spokane and Richland getting as much as 5 inches on the ground. The Portland area got a dusting from that and later eruptions, with ash covering cars.

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Photo courtesy Guy Seay

Readers' photos: We asked readers to send us their photos on social media. Take a look through the gallery to see what conditions look like around Oregon and the Portland area, including this photo of the hazy sky viewed from the west side of the Hawthorne Bridge in Portland.

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Mark Graves/Staff

Lookie lous: The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office had a blunt warning for the public: Stay away from area.

An influx of curious onlookers have ventured into the Corbett area on Tuesday, complicating firefighting efforts said Sgt. Bryan White.

“Stay out of these areas,” White said. He said people who are in the way are interfering with efforts to notify residents about evacuation alerts. “By placing yourself there, you are hindering those efforts and you yourself may need rescue.”

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Mark Graves/Staff

Evacuation area expands east: About noon, officials placed an area of Troutdale under a Level 1 evacuation, which means residents there should be ready for an evacuation.

The area under the alert is east of 257th Avenue between Stark Street and the Sandy River.

During a noon briefing in Troutdale, Portland fire Lt. Damon Simmons said firefighters are making "good progress." He said the fire, which covers an estimated 10,000 acres, is expected to grow but at a slower pace.

Oneonta Tunnel along the Historic Columbia River Highway, however, was damaged by fire; the extent of the damage was not clear early Tuesday.

"They were able to save the lodge at Multnomah Falls," said Simmons, as flecks of ash floated from the sky. "It's still threatened slightly, but we made a good save there."

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=XR2DhoWsxo4

Time lapse photos: Oregon's Eagle Creek fire is seen from Stevenson, Washington, with a view of Cascade Locks, from 5 p.m. Sept. 4 to 5 a.m. Sept. 5.

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The Oneonta Tunnel just after it reopened in 2009, and that same tunnel last night. #EagleCreekFire pic.twitter.com/6Ob0IJrEj9 — Kevin Zuercher (@kzerker_or) September 5, 2017

Oneonta tunnel damaged: The Eagle Creek fire has damaged the Oneonta Tunnel, which was restored in 2009 (pictured).

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Jim Ryan/Staff

Multnomah County declares state of emergency: Officials hold a news conference Tuesday morning in Troutdale as Multnomah County declares a tate of emergency because of the Eagle Creek fire burning in the Columbia River Gorge.

The declaration allows county leaders to request additional resources to battle the blaze, which continues to burn unchecked in the Columbia River Gorge, a national scenic area and one of the state's premier outdoor attractions.

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NASA

Satellite view of smoke: NASA view of smoke and ash covering Oregon.

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Webcam courtesy Oca Hoeflein

Live camera: Real-time view of the Eagle Creek fire — camera is facing Cascade Locks. Photo is updated every three minutes.

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Hood Tech/TacAero

Infrared shows heat: Infrared flight footage shows intense heat of Eagle Creek Fire.

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Jim Ryan/Staff

Travel affected: Dave Thompson, an Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman, strongly suggested travelers check traffic cameras on Oregon and Washington's state transportation websites to see what roads are open. Interstate 84 (above) is closed through the gorge, with only emergency vehicles allowed access.

An alternative to traveling through the fire-affected area is to take U.S. 26, he said.

The Washington Department of Transportation issued restrictions for SR 14. Vehicles over 10,000 gross vehicle weight are prohibited from traveling in both directions on the highway between Washougal and Dallesport. All other motorists should avoid traveling on the highway.

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Mark Graves/Staff

"Surreal" scene: Lt. Damon Simmons, a spokesman for the state fire marshal, Tuesday morning said, "We are still getting a handle on everything that happened last night."

Simmons described the sight of flames in the woods around the historic lodge as "surreal."

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

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Mark Graves/Staff

Close to Cascade Locks: The Eagle Creek fire in the Columbia River Gorge burns late Sunday night Sept. 3, 2017, less than a quarter mile from the town of Cascade Locks. This photo was taken near the Bridge of the Gods.

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Mark Graves/Staff

Interstate 84 closed: Interstate 84 between Troutdale and Hood River remains closed.

"Fire burning right along a major interstate, closing 40 miles of road, threatening homes -- this is a big deal," said Dave Thompson, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation. "This happened fairly suddenly. It blew up."

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Mark Graves/Staff

Fire jumped the gorge: Officials said they expect the Eagle Creek fire, which is burning unchecked and has spread to Mount Archer in Washington, to become "high priority" nationwide by daylight Tuesday.

"As long as that wind is pushing, that fire will keep spotting and those ember fires are going to keep coming down," said Simmons.

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Fireworks suspected cause: On Sunday, the Oregon State Police said it had identified a suspect whose "misuse of fireworks" might have sparked the blaze. The agency has not released any additional information about its investigation.

But a woman who was hiking in the Columbia River Gorge on Saturday afternoon says she happened across a group of teens who were lighting fireworks and throwing them into Eagle Creek Canyon, igniting the now 10,000-acre Eagle Creek fire.

“I saw this kid throw a smoke bomb — just lobbed it and dropped it down into the woods,” FitzGerald told Oregon Public Broadcasting. “… I saw him throw something that was on fire. Then we all looked over the edge and saw smoke. I said, ‘Do you realize how dangerous this is?’”

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Oregon State Police said the suspect is a 15-year-old Vancouver boy. Officials said he and other teens may have been using fireworks that started the fire, and law enforcement interviewed him in the trailhead parking lot. OSP did not name the juvenile, and no arrests or citations have been made.



OSP is seeking witnesses or anyone with information. Call 503-375-3555.

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Mark Graves/Staff

Smoke limits air fight: A firefighting plane flies near the Eagle Creek fire in the Columbia River Gorge on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017. But on Tuesday, Simmons said thick smoke has made air support all but impossible, said Simmons.

"You can't see the ridge tops," he said.

Firefighters from agencies across the region are helping to battle the fires, along with those from the U.S. Forest Service and the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Officials said they do not know over how many acres the fire is burning; the latest count was 4,800 acres as of late Monday.

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Mark Graves/Staff

Evacuations ordered: The communities of Warrendale, Dodson, Larch Mountain, Latourelle, Bridal Veil, East Corbett are now under mandatory evacuation orders.

Corbett and Springdale are under Level 2 evacuation orders, meaning residents should be ready to go on a moment's notice.

All other Corbett residents are under a Level 1 evacuation order, meaning they should pack their belongings in preparation for an evacuation.

The Corbett School District is closed Tuesday.

Earlier Level 1 evacuation notices in Cascade Locks, meanwhile, are now Level 2, Hood River County officials said.

An emergency shelter has been established at the gymnasium at Mt. Hood Community College, where about a dozen people spent the night. Officials said pets are welcome.

Level 3 evacuation orders were issued Tuesday Archer Mountain Road, Franz Road, Smith Cripe Road, Kellet Road and Victoria Lane -- all in Washington. Residents needing shelter may go to the Rock Creek Hegewald Center, 710 Rock Creek Drive in Stevenson.

The evacuations were quickly expanded Monday night and Tuesday morning as the fire grew. Multnomah County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Chad Gaidos said the sudden orders were a testament to the fast-moving nature of the fire.

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Mark Graves/Staff

Hikers evacuated over weekend: Families reunite after campers were evacuated from a forest fire in the Eagle Creek area of the Columbia River Gorge on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. The fire started Saturday afternoon about a mile up from the Eagle Creek Trail, stranding more than 150 hikers near the Punchbowl Falls. No hikers were injured. Officials on Sunday bused the stranded hikers to the Cascade Salmon Hatchery to be reunited with family and friends.

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Mark Graves/Staff

Air quality affected throughout area: An air quality alert for northwest Oregon is in effect through through 6 p.m. Tuesday. Smoke and warm conditions are expected to lead air quality to hit "unhealthy levels" on Tuesday.

Forty miles of Interstate 84 are expected to remain closed for much of Tuesday, Oregon Department of Transportation officials said. Washington officials warned motorists to avoid SR 14 in the Columbia River Gorge.

Bridge of the Gods is open only for those evacuating from Oregon; the Historic Columbia River Highway is also closed.

The Portland area, meanwhile, will see up to an inch of ash from the fires. The region will continue to experience warm, dry conditions throughout the day.