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About Columbia Gorge news. (The Dalles, OR) 2020-current | View Entire Issue (July 7, 2021)
Wednesday,July7,2021 Columbia Gorge News www.columbiagorgenews.com 3 Child drowns in Columbia River The Valley View fire runs to the southwest from where it ignited on Valley View Drive, located to the right of the photograph. Below, a home on Highway 197 is surrounded by smoke and burnt ground on the east side of the fire, just south of The Dalles. Mark B. Gibson photos FIRE Wildland fires burn in the Gorge Police, Hood River Police Department, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Local Fire and EMS crews and the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office. The child’s body was recovered at approximately 5:15 p.m. in about 10 feet of water by the Skamania County Dive Team. The Sheriff’s Office reminds people recreating in waterways to please be vigilant about safety this summer and use personal flotation devices. Incidents of this nature happen extreme- ly fast and from seemingly safe waterways, said a press release. Campfire ban goes into effect Continued from page 1 doing is working. We were able to better protect proper- ties with their assistance and support.” The fire, which was burning in mostly brush and wheat, was first reported around 3:45 p.m. on the 3100 block of Valley View Drive near The Dalles. Strong winds pushed the fire in a southeast direction, forcing evacuations and road closures. Firefighters were able to protect the homes in the area and no injuries were reported. Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue was the lead agency for the response. The Oregon State Fire Marshal temporari- ly reassigned task forces from the Wrentham Market Fire while coordinating air attack from Oregon Department of Forestry resources. This decision, along with mutual aid from neighboring fire districts, was critical in stopping the rapidly advanc- ing fire, according to the Oregon Fire Marshall’s office. Parts of Highway 197 south of The Dalles were temporari- ly closed Thursday evening. In all, more than 100 firefighters were part of the initial attack. Responding agencies included Mid- Columbia Fire, Dallesport Fire, Dufur Fire, Mosier Fire, taskforces from Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, and Hood River, Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service. The Dalles Police, Wasco County Sheriff, Oregon State Police, and Oregon Department of Oregon Transport also assisted on scene. On Saturday, July 3, the state fully returned man- agement of the fire to local control. Taskforces from Marion, Yamhill, Multnomah and Linn Counties assisted in the initial attack and in mopping up hot spots, monitoring the perimeter of the fire, and ex- panding the defensible space around homes. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office issued several evacua- tions due to the fast-moving flames. County residents can sign up to receive future emergency notifications through the county. The fire was originally mislabeled as the Sunnyside Valley Fire. HOOD RIVER — On Wednesday, June 30, just after 2 p.m. the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a child missing in the water on the Columbia River at Nichols Boat Basin in Hood River. A 10-year-old girl from Portland fell out of an inflatable raft that she was riding in with another family acquaintance. She was not wearing a personal flotation device at the time. A search was conducted by the sheriff’s office with as- sistance from the Columbia River Intertribal Fisheries Enforcement, Oregon State Mt. Hood National Forest, Gifford Pinchot National Forest and forest service lands in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area are impacted by a campfire ban now in effect. All campfires, charcoal or briquette fires, pellet fires or any other open fires are now prohibited in all U.S. National Forest lands, including in developed campgrounds. Portable cooking stoves, lanterns and heating devices using liquefied or bottled fuel, such as propane, are still allowed as they can be instantly switched off. Additionally, target shooting is tem- porarily prohibited because of the risk of wildfire. Restrictions were set in place July 1 on the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and July 2 on both the Gifford Pinchot and Mt. Hood National Forests. Early drought conditions have been impacted by extreme heat. Even after temperatures drop a bit, forecasted dry sum- mer conditions will continue to increase the risk of wildfire. With the current dry, hot conditions any wildfire start poses a greater threat to firefighter safety, public safety and personal property. “We are seeing conditions that are more common to August,” said Dirk Shupe, fire management staff foficer for the Gifford Pinchot and Mt. Hood National Forests. order is in place for residenc- es near the Highway 197/97 intersection. The Rattlesnake Fire is not part of the S-503 reservation fire. Crews working the S-503 fire were diverted to the Rattlesnake Fire, and performed the initial attack. As of July 4, the fire had consumed 5,479 acres and was 90% contained. Wrentham Market Fire Even as the Wasco County Board of Commissioners declared a “local state of emergency” June 30 in response to extreme heat — and banned fireworks in the county through July 14 — a brush and grass fire ignited the day before in the Dufur area, south of The Dalles, was reported to have grown to 10,000 acres in its first day. The fire was declared a “conflagration” Wednesday morning, prior to the emer- gency meeting, which trans- fered management of the fire to the state via the Oregon Fire Marshall’s office. Stefan Myers with the Oregon Fire Marshall’s office said the 3 task forces were coming from Yamhill, Multnomah and Washington counties and would provide ground and air attack as well as structure protection. He said 20 homes were threat- ened by the fire, which was being driven toward the Deschutes River. “It’s not contained but they have some good fire lines dug in,” he said of the overnight work by local fire crews. He added that a barn had been lost overnight, but local crews had saved a home that was in “immediate threat.” Three aircraft have been assigned to the fire, Myers added. Sheriff Magill said the fire was held at Center Ridge Road overnight by local fire Rattlesnake Fire crews, but deep canyon fires and spot fires ahead of the According to a June 30 fire were making contain- post on the Wasco County Sheriff’s Facebook page, a ment a challenge. new fire near South Junction “This is like the Substation area, called Rattlesnake Fire, Fire, with dry conditions and is burning towards Highway high winds anticipated,” he 197 and Jefferson County. said. The 2018 Substation Fire The fire is burning near the was ignited in The Dalles and intersection of highways 197 rapidly burned south clear and 97, south of Maupin. A into to Sherman County, Level 2 Get Ready evacuation burning four homes and four A Fire Boss aircraft drops a load of water on the Valley View Fire above Benson Road, southweast of The Dalles. Below, a farmer plows a firebreak along Highway 197. The fire jumped the freeway near Five Mile Creek, but did not travel far beyond the freeway. NOW OPEN FOR DINING Homemade specialties by Chef Joe Kosarek Enjoy this one-of-a-kind artisan experience in The Dalles. Open Wed-Sun. 4-9 pm 541-296-5666 www.baldwinsaloon.com secondary structures, killing one resident and blackening 79,121 acres, many of them planted in wheat and ready for harvest. Magill told the board three task forces en route that in- clude overhead and incident command teams, and they will be fully operational very soon. He noted the teams responding including some of those who worked the Substation Fire. “That’s an additional 100, 150 resources,” Magill said, which should allow a significant ground attack on the fire. On July 2, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) joined the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) in Unified Command of the fire. “We’re really happy to have our partners at BLM joining us in supporting this community and taking care of business to contain this fire,” said Ian Yocum, OSFM incident commander. “The Unified Command structure allows agencies to better utilize expertise and position resources, and ultimate- ly follow through on our mission of protecting life and property.” BLM has activated two 20-person hand crews. They will arrive Thursday and will focus on areas with high concentrations of fuel and mopping up hot spots. As of July 4, the fire had burned 7,222 acres and was 100% contained. S-503 Fire A Type-3 fire management organization lead by Incident Commander (IC) Travis Moyer was in command of the S-503 Fire. The S-503 Fire is located in timber and grasses on the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation and privately owned in-holdings protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry. This fire is being managed as a full suppres- sion fire. As of July 4, the fire had burned 6,822 acres and was 98% contained. Lost or stolen dog Great Pyranese Dog was taken from us by a neighbor. Peter is a 6 mo old herd dog who was given away or sold to a Lady in The Dalles area. This person is unknown to us and the neighbor will not give us any info. We heard her mention that her address was on Skyline Rd. Which turned out to be a phoney address. Please call J.J. at home # 541-323-1773 or my cell 541-279-9538 Nice reward for the return of our lovely pet. Historic GRANADA T H E A T R E The Historic Granada Theatre and Sedition Brewing Company present! Legends in The Dalles All day music festival featuring Lock in For Life! Call Now For Details! (541) 298-5656 Schedule a Tour Today! This is a memory care limited time offer, valid July 1 -August 31, 2021. 3325 Columbia View Drive The Dalles, OR 97058 FLAGSTONESENIORLIVING.COM Marshall Tucker Band $45 / VIP $65 21+ Food Vendors Galore, Cocktails, Micro Brews & Tucker Pucker Margaritas July 17th, outdoors Lewis & Clark Festival Park in The Dalles . And for all info crosscheck @ GranadaTheatrethedalles.com