[ad_1]
THE DALLES, Oregon – (Updated: Tractor killed, Highway 97 closed
A tractor operator died attempting to fight the 36,000-acre substation east of The Dalles, which also closed a 67-mile stretch of US Highway 97 from Biggs Junction at Columbia Gorge, south, junction of Highway 197, officials said.
Follow traffic updates on our TripCheck page
A statement from the Wasco County Sheriff's Office indicated that the deputies responded to the report of a tractor burned around 13:30 on Wednesday.
MPs found the tractor and the operator were found dead a short distance, apparently killed by the l & # 39; 39, exposure to the fire.The name has not been published pending the notification of the a family
"It is believed that the tractor operator tried to suppress the fire by creating a line of fire," said a press release
The Dalles' Substation Fire increased to 36,000 Wednesday's acres and forced more evacuations, but officials said that the morning has made good progress and a slower rate of spread. The afternoon has highlighted a major power outage of three counties apparently related to forest fires and its impact on major electricity transmission lines
The fire of grasses at the l & # 39; East Portland took a power line of 115 kilovolts. It is the property of the Bonneville Energy Administration. BPA spokesman Kevin Wingert said the crews have mostly restored service.
The power transmitted by the line is sold by BPA to several different utilities in the immediate area and the number of affected customers was not immediately clear.
Frontier 911 reported at 1 pm that the outage had hit Wheeler, Gilliam and Sherman counties.
The fast-moving forest fire burned three structures, including a house, on Tuesday, leaping the Deschutes River and forcing extensive evacuations, officials said. It was one of the forest fires causing problems in the populated areas of the Northwest
The OPB reported that the cluster munition fire had jumped on the Deschutes River near Sayers Road in Sherman County on Tuesday night. Approximately 75 homes had been evacuated
Shortly before midnight, Governor Kate Brown and the Office of the Fire Marshal of the State of Oregon invoked the Conflagration Act, allowing to call the Equipment and Firefighters All Over the State
"Due to the fire, the Lower Deschutes River was destroyed by fires and first responders," said Mr. Brown. Wednesday closed at launches, outings, camping and other access from Macks Canyon south of Sherars Falls until further notice, officials said. Recreational boaters can not enter at this time for Segment 3 or 4 river flows as Sherman County is evacuating the area.
KGW reported earlier that the substation fire had broken out between Highway 197 and Eightmile Road.
The winds blew grass fire to the east, where they jumped towards Eightmile Road and Emerson Loop towards the Deschutes River.
A Level 3 evacuation notice (GO) was issued for areas with almost two dozen homes and extended to the north when the fire spread, according to the Wasco County Sheriff's Office. evacuation alert. The American Red Cross has set up a shelter for evacuees at The Dalles High School.
The Sky 8 video shows three structures completely engulfed. One of the buildings was a house, according to the Forest Service.
This is one of many fires in the Northwest that caused evacuations on Tuesday night.
Authorities say that a small fire has caused the evacuation of 700 homes near Spokane Valley. building and then spread to the grass and trees.
KREM-TV reports that the so-called Upriver Beacon Fire was extinguished a bit during the night, and that all the most urgent evacuation notices had been downgraded on Wednesday morning.
The state's natural resources department helped fight the fire with drops of water coming from a tanker plane, and several firefighting crews arrived on Tuesday after the leader of the Washington State Patrol approved their mobilization.
The fire burned about a third of a square mile and damaged some power lines.
According to official reports, a structure would have been lost, but Melanie Rose, Spokane Valley Fire Department spokeswoman, estimates that at least six structures have been destroyed. She said that at least two of them were listed as houses.
Representatives of the North West Red Cross said they opened a shelter for evacuees at Bowdish Middle School in the Spokane Valley.
Meanwhile, in southern Oregon, several businesses, homes, and an assisted living center were evacuated to Central Point near Medford because of a rapidly moving wildfire. .
Medford Police reported that the fire that started near the Rogue Valley Family Recreation Center quickly spread across a large field behind Costco towards Snape International Airport Valley-Medford.
The Mail Tribune reported that 14 residents of an assisted living center were evacuated and will spend the night in a hospital in the area.
Police said that the fire had caused material damage, but that he had apparently not been injured and that he had been restrained before he could reach him. ;airport.
Police stated that some evacuations remained in place while firefighters were working to control the fire.
Much of Oregon is facing a series of wildfires triggered by lightning
. responded to 58 fires in 72 hours, after more than 2,000 lightning flashes during this period. The largest, the 50-acre Blue Creek Fire, burned at the southwestern base of Spodue Mountain, while the 41-acre Holbrook Fire burned about eight miles southeast of the Gerber Reservoir
. – Tiny Creek Fire, about eight miles west of the junction of Highway 97-138 near Chemult. The authorities analyzed the fire and determined that the conditions were good to allow the fire to reduce dangerous fuels, similar to a prescribed fire, using the roads as control lines and ensuring that no hot spot threatens pipelines
Heppner, burned 15,000 to 20,000 acres on Tuesday afternoon, but was stopped by many firefighting agencies, as well as state and federal teams. No structure was lost as the fire burned grasslands, fences and corrals.
Source link
