White River Fire Over 1,681 Acres Northeast Of Timothy Lake In Mt. Hood National Forest
Wasco county, Ore. – Over 300 people are working to put out the White River Fire burning in the Mt. Hood National Forest northeast of Timothy Lake. The fire has now burned over 1,681 acres according to the incident’s website. The Wasco county sheriff’s office has some nearby residents on a level one evacuation order, meaning they have to get ready to leave if it gets worse. Some trails and campgrounds are closed because of the fire.
The White River Fire is currently 1102 acres. Firefighters continue to make progress along Forest Road 48. The road is a control line on the north side of the fire. Rather than working directly on the fire edge, firefighters are bringing the fire to the control line using low intensity fire to remove fuels between the road and the main fire.
The Barlow Road and the White River are on the south side of the fire. There firefighters are watching for spot fires outside control lines. The river is in a steep canyon and difficult to reach. Crews are putting in hand line on the west side of the fire between the 48 road and the river.
Fire managers said that securing lines and bringing fire to the lines will take several days. They are coordinating with local agencies to protect forest, cultural and scenic resources, while containing the fire.
Much of the smoke people are seeing in nearby communities could be from the White River Fire or from others in the Pacific Northwest.
Today’s temperatures will be in the from 80s, relative humidity 17-22%, and winds from the south during the day, changing to the northwest in the late afternoon and evening. Wind speeds forecasted at 5-6 mph in the valley and 5-10 mph on the ridgetops.
Closures:
For information on expanded road closures, trail closures, campground closures and day-use sites, please check the White River Fire on Inciweb for up-to-date closure information. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/7013/53534/
Evacuations: The Wasco County Sheriff has posted a Level 1 Evacuation notice for Sportsman Park and the Rock Creek area. https://www.facebook.com/WascoCountySheriff/posts/1837027263105452
For information on what the 1-2-3 evacuation notice levels mean go to:
https://www.oregon.gov/osp/Docs/Evacuation-Levels.pdf
To sign up for Wasco County’s Citizen Alert System go to:
https://member.everbridge.net/453003085612392/login
