Favorable weather conditions in the Columbia River Gorge prevented a fire burning near Hood River from growing significantly overnight, fire officials said Tuesday.
However, a change in wind direction could push the 533-acre fire toward steep western terrain that will be harder for firefighters to battle and could send smoke toward Portland.
The Tunnel 5 fire burning on the Washington side of the gorge was 5% contained as of Tuesday morning. Fire officials estimate it has damaged 10 structures and affected at least 1,000 residents, said Heather Appelhof, a spokesperson for the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team.
Homes and businesses within two miles of the fire are under Level 3 (go now) evacuation orders. Residents east of the fire in Klickitat County had been under Level 1 (get ready) orders on Monday, but Appelhof said that evacuation notice has been lifted for now.
Officials are still unsure what caused the fire, which spread rapidly at first due to hot, windy conditions and “extreme terrain,” officials with the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team said Monday.
Firefighters monitored the flames overnight Monday into Tuesday, but cooler temperatures and a lack of extreme winds helped keep the fire from spreading, Appelhof said. However, Tuesday is expected to be “hotter and drier,” Appelhof said and the winds have shifted, now blowing smoke toward Carson, Washington.
Nearly 200 firefighters, including five crews and five helicopters, are working on the fire that has grown increasingly complex, Appelhof said. Nearby structures are threatened, parts of State Route 14 are closed between mile markers 53 and 63 and a local watershed is under a boil water alert because of the blaze.
Firefighters are concentrating on the eastern and northeastern perimeters of the fire, according to a notice from officials. There are several houses and an old mill site on the eastern side of the fire that crews are working to protect, Appelhof said. On Tuesday, firefighters planned to run hoses along the eastern perimeter to deliver water along that boundary.
Terrain on the west edge of the fire is extremely steep, Appelhof said, and crews have been using air resources to drop water on the flames to help slow their spread.
The Skamania Public Utility District said in an alert on Tuesday that the Tunnel 5 fire is “dangerously encroaching” on springs, well houses, pump stations and “other critical infrastructure.” Power outages caused by the fire have changed the pressure in the water system, the utility district said, potentially allowing for microbes from human or animal waste to enter the system. Clients using the Underwood Water System are advised to boil any tap water they use for drinking, making ice, brushing their teeth and washing dishes.
Fire officials ask that anyone with video footage of how the fire started contact fire managers at (971) 800-0411 or 2023.tunnelfive@firenet.gov.
— Sami Edge; sedge@oregonian.com or (503) 260-3430.
Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe
