Remote Surveillance Trailer in Hood River, OR

More than 3,600 acres are still burning in the Columbia River Gorge, where a blaze that began last week foreshadows what experts think will be an above-normal Northwest wildfire season.

Hazardous conditions across the region should temporarily ease by Friday when a wet system pushes in from the Pacific.

The Rowena fire, above I-84 between Hood River and The Dalles, Ore., was only 10% contained Sunday afternoon. It has burned 54 homes and 91 other structures, according to the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office. No lives have been lost. The flames briefly closed the freeway Thursday and still blocked local Highway 30 over the weekend.

Fire crews were “mopping up” hot spots on the west edge of the fire zone Sunday and planned to preemptively burn some trees at risk of combusting, Oregon fire officials said in a briefing video.

Meanwhile in Washington state, the Pomas fire west of Lake Chelan scorched 163 acres and remains active, while six small blazes were reported Sunday around the state, according to the tracking site watchduty.org.

Statewide, 2,500 acres have burned as of last week, the state Department of Natural Resources said.

The National Weather Service in Spokane predicts “elevated fire weather conditions through Wednesday,” followed by cooling and a chance of “much needed rain” by Friday for the inland Northwest. The NWS says it almost declared red flag warnings for Wenatchee, the Waterville Plateau and west Columbia Basin in anticipation of 30 mph gusts Monday and highs near 80. Lightning isn’t a threat, however.

Last week, crews doused the Cle Elum area’s 53-acre Red Bridge fire that threatened at least two homes, as a dry June aggravates low precipitation in May.

The state already declared a drought emergency blanketed over 15 counties, including the irrigation-reliant Yakima River basin. Mountain snows have melted sooner than normal the past three springs.

There haven’t been any large fires yet this year in Western Washington, where climate scientists have predicted a hotter future will cause more smoky summers like 2017, when significant fires flared west of the Cascades.

This week’s Seattle area forecast calls for highs in the low- to mid-70s through Thursday, cooling on Friday to around 65 degree highs. A slight sprinkling is likely by Wednesday morning, followed by more sun. Then by Friday, the skies will be mostly cloudy with rain entering the weekend.

That long-overdue moisture, delivered by a big low-pressure system from the Gulf of Alaska, could deposit up to one-third of an inch of rain in Puget Sound lowlands and 1 inch around Spokane, said weather service meteorologist Anna Lindeman.

So far this month, there has been zero measurable rain at SeaTac, after only 0.83 inches fell last month, about half of normal, she said.

Why would Eastern Washington be wetter than the west side? Lindeman said that “wraparound moisture” Friday is supposed to push south of the Olympics and through the Columbia Gorge toward the inland Northwest.

“Snow levels are actually going to drop, to 5,000 or 6,000 feet,” she said. That won’t bring the state’s essential snowpack to par, she said, but could create a “light dusting” on Cascade peaks.

Information from Oregonlive.com was included in this report.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com. Mike Lindblom covers transportation for The Seattle Times.

Rowena fire grows to 3,500 acres with evacuation orders issued for hundreds of homes in Columbia River Gorge area

A growing wildfire in Oregon has destroyed multiple homes and prompted evacuation orders in the Columbia River Gorge area, in what officials are calling an early warning of the fire season ahead.

The so-called Rowena fire had grown on Thursday to 3,500 acres (1,400 hectares) and remained 0% contained, prompting officials to issue evacuation orders for hundreds of homes and to temporarily close a section of an interstate highway.

The state’s governor, Tina Kotek, invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for the Rowena Fire, allowing the state’s fire marshal agency to mobilize resources, it said in a statement.

The agency said it was mobilizing an incident management team and six structural taskforces, with three responding on Wednesday night and the other three arriving early on Thursday. The fire has already destroyed about 20 homes, according to local news reports, and is threatening nearly 2,200 structures.

The wildfire comes as the US west readies for what could be a brutal fire season exacerbated by a dry winter and warming temperatures. Parts of Oregon are already dealing with record-breaking early season heat.

“This early season conflagration should come as a reminder to Oregonians to be ready for wildfire,” said Mariana Ruiz-Temple, the state fire marshal.

The Oregon department of transportation said on Wednesday that Interstate 84 was closed between Hood River and The Dalles, though the highway was reportedly reopened by Thursday. Hood River, a popular tourist destination about 55 miles (90km) east of Portland, is home to about 8,000 people, and more than 15,000 people live in The Dalles farther east.

Residents of more than 700 homes were ordered to evacuate in an area stretching north-west of The Dalles along I-84 and farther inland, according to the Wasco county sheriff’s office. Residents of more than 1,300 homes were told to prepare to leave, including in part of the town’s northern end.

A middle school in The Dalles was set up as a temporary shelter, while the county fairgrounds opened as a shelter for livestock and horses, the sheriff’s office said.

Photos shared by the transportation department showed flames burning alongside and in the median of I-84 as wind gusts fanned the smoke. A water helicopter and a plane dropping fire retardant helped fight the blaze, which broke out on Wednesday.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR

THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCETHE SECRETARY OF ENERGYTHE SECRETARY OF THE ARMYTHE CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

SUBJECT: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Generate Power for the Columbia River Basin

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby direct:

It is essential to protect Americans’ ability to take full advantage of our vast natural resources to ensure human flourishing across our country. My Administration is committed to protecting the American people from radical green agenda policies that make their lives more expensive, and to maximizing the beneficial uses of our existing energy infrastructure and natural resources to generate energy and lower the cost of living.

The Presidential Memorandum of September 27, 2023 (Restoring Healthy and Abundant Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native Fish Populations in the Columbia River Basin), for example, elevates “equitable treatment for fish” and misplaced concerns about climate change above the Nation’s interests in reliable energy resources and the needs of American citizens. Among other things, the actions that the Biden Administration contemplated in furtherance of the policy stated in the Presidential Memorandum of September 27, 2023, included breaching four dams on the Lower Snake River, eliminating over 3,000 megawatts of secure, reliable, and affordable hydroelectric generating capacity. The negative impacts from these reckless acts, if completed, would be devastating for the region, and there would be no viable approach to replace the low-cost, baseload energy supplied; the critical shipping channels lost; the vital water supply for local farmers reduced; or the recreational opportunities that would no longer be possible as a result of these acts.

To prevent these harmful impacts, I hereby revoke the Presidential Memorandum of September 27, 2023. Further, within 15 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works under the direction of the Secretary of the Army (heads of departments) shall take all appropriate steps to withdraw from the Memorandum of Understanding filed on December 14, 2023, in the Columbia River System litigation, National Wildlife Federation v. National Marine Fisheries Service, 3:01-cv-640-SI (D. Or.), Dkt. 2450-1 (MOU).

The heads of departments shall also rescind the “Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Columbia River System Operations” published in the Federal Register on December 18, 2024. As appropriate, the heads of departments shall develop a schedule to complete the Supplemental Columbia River System Environmental Impact Statement and reissue the Notice of Intent pursuant to that schedule and in alignment with any updated National Environmental Policy Act procedures of the heads of departments. The heads of departments shall submit the schedule to the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Chair shall convene regular meetings among the heads of departments and any additional appropriate Federal stakeholders for updates on the status of the environmental review process.

Within 30 days of the date of this memorandum, the heads of departments shall identify and report to the President through the Chair of CEQ on:

(i) all actions taken pursuant to or consistent with the Presidential Memorandum of September 27, 2023, including the MOU;

(ii) the status of all Federal commitments made pursuant to the Presidential Memorandum of September 27, 2023, and the MOU along with an identification of any such commitments that may be consistent with the policies of my Administration;

(iii) any steps that may be taken to rescind or recoup Federal funds obligated to implement the MOU; and

(iv) any actions that have been taken and future steps that must be taken to withdraw from the MOU.

This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

DONALD J. TRUMP

Interstate 84 has reopened in both directions between Hood River and The Dalles, but the wildfire that prompted its closure Wednesday continues to threaten the area.

Sheriff’s officials are asking more residents in Wasco County to prepare to evacuate as the fire that started near Rowena on Wednesday afternoon continues to burn. (See map.)

The human-caused fire has destroyed an unknown number of buildings and homes and has spread to 2,500 acres, the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center reported Thursday morning.

Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on Wednesday afternoon to allow the Oregon State Fire Marshal to deploy resources to combat the blaze.

The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 3 (go now) evacuation order early Wednesday afternoon for people living by Rowena River Ferry Road, a stretch of I-84 and U.S. 30 to Discovery Road.

On Thursday morning, sheriff’s officials issued new warnings, including Level 3 (go now) orders for Seven Mile Hill Road to Mountain View Drive, south to Chenowith Creek Road and Browns Creek Road, east to West 7th Street.

People living in the Port area of The Dalles are also under Level 2 (get set) orders, as well as people living from U.S. 30 west to Dell Road, State Road south to Seven Mile Hill Road and east to Mountain View Drive.

The Red Cross has opened a shelter at The Dalles Middle School at 1100 East 12th St., and people can take livestock and horses to the Wasco County Fairgrounds at 81849 Fairgrounds Road, the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office said.

U.S. 30 in the area remains closed due to the fire.

Residents can view an evacuation map here.

— Tatum Todd is a breaking news reporter who covers public safety, crime and community news. Reach them at ttodd@oregonian.com or 503-221-4313.

Fire officials said that power to Cascade Locks had been cut because of transmission lines being involved in the Wyeth Fire.

CASCADE LOCKS, Ore. — Officials issued an evacuation warning Monday evening after a wildfire broke out near Wyeth in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Cascade Locks. The fire has also resulted in power outages through the area.

Those evacuation levels remained in effect overnight, Cascade Locks Fire and EMS said it will reevaluate levels Tuesday morning.

Cascade Locks Fire and EMS posted just after 6 p.m. Monday that they were on the scene of a wildfire that was moving northeast. They said that evacuation warnings were issued for the Wyeth Campground and one residence in the area.

The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area later said that the fire was estimated at 25 acres in size, with multiple aircraft and ground resources engaged.

Shortly after 8 p.m., fire officials said that the Bonneville Power Administration had cut power between the dam and Hood River — impacting Cascade Locks — because transmission lines were impacted by the fire. Around 10:45 p.m., power had been restored to the area.

"Please be patient, stay cool, check on your neighbors," Cascade Locks Fire and EMS said.

The Hood River County Sheriff's Office said that the Level 2 "Get Set" evacuation warning applied to the campground and the east end of Herman Creek Road. Herman Creek Road was closed, and fire officials said to avoid the area.

"Travelers on I-84 may experience decreased visibility and should be cautious," the sheriff's office added.

As of 7:50 p.m., there were "minimal" reported traffic impacts on I-84, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

This story will be updated with more details as they emerge.