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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Tuesday, September 5, 2017 Dozens of hikers rescued amid wildfires WEATHER: Chetco Bar Fire is the state’s largest at 142,857 acres By CONRAD WILSON Oregon Public Broadcasting Cascade Locks remained eerily quiet Monday morning. No gas. No food. Busi- nesses along the main drag were either closed or forced to evacuate. The perpetual scent of fire, the sun’s rays muted by smoke, and the occasional drizzle of ash greeted visi- tors to the town as the Eagle Creek Fire continued to burn about a mile away, threat- ening hundreds of homes and other structures. As of Monday morning, the human-caused wildfire was about 3,200 acres, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry. That marks a small increase from what officials reported Sunday. “The crews were on it all last night,” said Ashley Lertora, a spokeswoman with ODF. “We have a lot of structure protection in place.” Among the firefighters in that operation were seven from Umatilla County Fire District 1, four from Boardman Rural Fire Protec- tion District and crews from Umatilla and La Grande’s fire departments. The smoke has mostly prevented fire officials from using air support, save for a few times Sunday afternoon when helicopters from the Washington Department of Natural Resource were able to dump water on the fire. By midday Monday, planes could be seen drop- ping water again. On Sunday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown invoked the Conflagration Act, which allows the State Fire Marshal to dispatch equipment and firefighters from around the state. “We do expect a little bit of growth today on the fire, because of the extreme fire danger weather that we have going on right now,” Lertora said. The Eagle Creek Fire started around 4 p.m. Saturday by someone misusing fireworks, Oregon State Police confirm Monday. Authorities said they have identified a suspect. 2016 — remains 4.8 inches above average, thanks to an exceptionally wet spring and winter. Conditions were similar for August in Hermiston, where just .05 inches of rain fell during the entire month. That’s about .15 inches below average. In addition, Hermiston saw eight days of triple-digit heat, including four straight days of record highs from Aug. 9-12, when each day registered 101 degrees. Looking ahead to September, the forecast does not promise much in terms of immediate relief. The National Oceanic and Atmo- spheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center is calling for more above-av- erage temperatures and near-average rainfall for the region. Normal highs at the Pendleton airport range from 83 degrees at the beginning of September to 72 degrees by month’s end, while the 30-year average for rainfall is about .57 inches. Temperatures are expected to reach 96 degrees Tuesday and 97 degrees Wednesday, before cooling down to around 90 degrees Thursday. Smoky skies have also returned to Eastern Oregon as wildfires continue to swell across the West. Ann Adams, assistant meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the haze is blowing in from all different directions. “It’s coming from all over,” Adams said. “We’re surrounded.” Along the Columbia River Gorge, firefighters are scrambling to protect the town of Cascade Locks after 3,200-acre fire erupted Saturday near Eagle Creek. Officials say the blaze was likely started by fireworks in Mark Graves/The Oregonian via AP Families reunite after campers were evacuated from a forest fire in the Eagle Creek area of the Columbia River Gorge Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. Two busloads of hikers in Oregon were reunited with their friends and family Sunday morning after they were forced to spend the night in the mountains east of Portland when a wildfire closed their trail and they were trapped between two blazes. of Portland and surrounding areas, is under a Level 1, or “get ready,” evacuation notice. Casey Bennett said he watched the flames Sunday night pour down the ridge of the gorge, like flowing lava. “We already decided if we lose power, we’re loading our cars,” Bennett said. “If it hits the freeway, which is at the end of my street, we’re going to load up and leave. We’ve got a bunch of dogs and cats and ducks, so I’ll have to put ducks in the trunk of my car.” Long distance hikers were also affected by the fire. Ben Connelly, from Maine, and Jess Dustow, from Sydney, Australia, began hiking the Pacific Crest Trail four months ago, starting on the U.S.-Mexico border. Connelly said the fires in Oregon have prevented them from hiking about half the trail in Oregon. “I’d say we probably skipped somewhere in the 200-mile range because of fires,” Connelly said. “Logistically, it’s been really tough,” Dustow adds. “Some of us didn’t budget for this either, having to hop off trails and stay in hotels.” ——— The East Oregonian contributed to this report. Mark Graves/The Oregonian via AP Fire burns in the Eagle Creek area of Columbia River Gorge, Saturday. The fire forced 153 hikers along the popular Eagle Creek hiking trail to spend Saturday night huddled together in the woods. All were safely evacuated Sunday. While Interstate 84 remains open, Lertora said the Oregon Department of Transportation has a plan to close the highway, should the smoke get worse. An eerie stillness in town As Monday morning wore on, the holiday weekend traffic in Cascade Locks picked up. But as visitors stopped through, they found little open, on what is typically a busy weekend for this economically depressed Columbia River Gorge community. Rudy, who declined to give his last name, runs Joe Fish. He’s with the Yakama Nation. They sell smoked fish, salmon and steelhead. “This is normally the biggest day of the season for us, we tend to make the most money this weekend,” Rudy said. “Town’s deserted. It wouldn’t be right for us to sell. We don’t want to put people in danger.” Understandably, the fire is causing anxiety for nearby residents. As of Monday morning, 283 homes and other structures and 15 busi- nesses on the south side of Cascade Locks were under mandatory evacuation. The Bonneville Dam, which provides power to the City Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255 before noon Tuesday through Friday or before 10 a.m. Saturday for same-day redelivery — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays SUBSCRIPTION RATES Local home delivery Savings off cover price EZPay $14.50 41 percent 52 weeks $173.67 41 percent 26 weeks $91.86 38 percent 13 weeks $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge www.eastoregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and Dec. 25, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Corrections The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. Classified & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Marissa Williams 541-278-2669 • addirector@eastoregonian.com Advertising Services: Laura Jensen 541-966-0806 • ljensen@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Kimberly Macias 541-278-2683 • kmacias@eastoregonian.com • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Angela Treadwell 541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: • call 541-966-0818 • fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group REGIONAL CITIES Forecast TODAY WEDNESDAY Very hot Mostly sunny and very hot 96° 63° 98° 67° THURSDAY A t-storm in spots in the p.m. FRIDAY Mostly sunny, a t-storm in spots 91° 67° 84° 63° Mostly sunny and nice 82° 55° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 100° 67° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 91° 82° 100° (1934) 63° 53° 32° (1892) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.00" 0.00" 0.06" 11.37" 7.36" 8.44" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE Yesterday Normals Records HIGH LOW 90° 83° 102° (1934) 56° 52° 38° (1929) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.00" 0.00" 0.04" 6.65" 5.04" 6.16" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Full Last Sep 5 Sep 12 New Sep 19 88° 64° 85° 55° Seattle 93/65 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 93° 68° 6:21 a.m. 7:25 p.m. 7:24 p.m. 5:33 a.m. First Sep 27 Today SATURDAY PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 98° 58° the popular recreation area. Closer to home, the Boulder Creek fire on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has consumed at least four acres, eight miles north- west of Halfway near the Summit Point fire lookout tower. The fire was sparked Aug. 31 by lightning, and prompted the closure of Forest Road 7715, Trail 1885 and the McBride Camp- ground, where firefighters have set up camp. Other large fires burning in Oregon include: • Chetco Bar Fire — Oregon’s largest blaze at 142,857 acres. Located five miles northeast of Brookings, the fire started July 12 and is just 10 percent contained. • Umpqua North Complex — Consists of 15 fires totaling 28,344 acres on the Umpqua National Forest, about 50 miles east of Roseburg. All together, the complex is 23 percent contained. • Miller Complex — Located 17 miles east of Cave Junction, the complex now spans 17,965 acres and is 35 percent contained. Air quality was listed Monday morning as moderate for Pendleton and La Grande, and unhealthy farther down the Columbia River Gorge in The Dalles. The National Weather Service and Oregon Depart- ment of Environmental Quality will discuss Tuesday whether to implement an air quality alert in Umatilla and Morrow counties. DEQ was closed Monday for Labor Day. An air quality alert is in effect through noon Wednesday for most of southeast and south central Washington, including the Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, Yakima and Goldendale. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0825. Continued from 1A Spokane Wenatchee 91/62 92/68 Tacoma Moses 93/58 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 97/62 95/58 85/60 93/57 98/61 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 96/62 97/67 Lewiston 97/57 Astoria 99/64 77/57 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 98/66 Pendleton 96/57 The Dalles 98/58 96/63 100/63 La Grande Salem 96/54 98/63 Albany Corvallis 94/60 93/59 John Day 101/62 Ontario Eugene Bend 98/58 90/59 95/58 Caldwell Burns 97/59 99/52 Astoria Baker City Bend Brookings Burns Enterprise Eugene Heppner Hermiston John Day Klamath Falls La Grande Meacham Medford Newport North Bend Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Redmond Salem Spokane Ukiah Vancouver Walla Walla Yakima Hi 77 98 95 72 99 96 90 93 98 101 95 96 95 99 68 70 98 98 96 98 97 98 91 97 98 97 98 Lo 57 52 58 61 52 57 59 61 58 62 54 54 50 66 57 58 58 57 63 66 52 63 62 55 64 67 61 W pc pc pc pc s pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Wed. Hi 72 100 91 69 98 97 84 96 100 101 84 98 97 91 68 70 99 98 98 86 93 86 96 97 85 98 100 Lo 57 54 58 59 54 58 58 66 67 62 52 54 52 62 55 56 61 58 67 65 54 62 65 55 65 70 63 W s s pc pc s pc pc s pc s pc s s pc s pc s pc s s pc s pc s s pc pc WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 87 89 87 68 71 54 72 79 80 66 82 Lo 63 79 68 52 58 50 55 60 65 51 72 W c c s pc t r pc s pc s c Wed. Hi 89 92 83 65 70 62 66 79 75 66 80 Lo 61 80 64 51 57 52 54 66 65 51 72 W s pc s pc t sh c pc r s r WINDS Medford 99/66 (in mph) Klamath Falls 95/54 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Eastern and Central Oregon: Hazy sunshine and very hot today. Western Washington: Hazy sunshine today; smoky. Mainly clear tonight, except mostly cloudy at the coast. Eastern Washington: Hazy sun today; smoke from area fi res will lead to poor air quality. Cascades: Hot and smoky today with hazy sun. Partly cloudy tonight. Northern California: Some sun today; hot in central parts. Wednesday NNW 4-8 NW 6-12 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Coastal Oregon: Hazy sun today; cooler in the south. Today NNE 4-8 NNW 6-12 1 3 5 5 3 1 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High; 8-10, Very High; 11+, Extreme The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num- ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s showers t-storms 0s 10s rain 20s flurries 30s 40s snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low National Summary: Rain and storms will erupt along a push of fall-like air from Maine to Tennessee and Texas today. Showers will cool the Great Lakes, as storms dot Florida and the Southwest. Heat will persist in the West. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 106° in Lemoore, Calif. Low 30° in Walden, Colo. NATIONAL CITIES Today Albuquerque Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Fargo Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Hi 88 86 83 86 76 85 98 85 89 74 70 75 94 75 72 93 62 67 86 92 76 89 74 104 83 84 Lo 62 66 70 65 47 63 65 66 74 55 49 54 67 50 50 67 52 42 71 73 51 73 49 81 60 68 W pc pc s pc s t pc s t r pc sh pc pc pc s r pc pc pc pc t pc pc t pc Wed. Hi 88 74 74 68 82 77 98 72 88 71 66 69 85 82 67 91 66 68 87 86 68 87 71 100 77 84 Lo 63 56 61 56 52 54 67 62 68 51 51 52 62 54 50 65 44 47 74 63 51 71 49 79 55 66 W pc t r r s sh s r t c pc pc s s pc s r pc pc pc pc t s pc s pc Today Hi Louisville 77 Memphis 80 Miami 91 Milwaukee 69 Minneapolis 64 Nashville 78 New Orleans 89 New York City 86 Oklahoma City 80 Omaha 72 Philadelphia 88 Phoenix 108 Portland, ME 78 Providence 83 Raleigh 89 Rapid City 70 Reno 98 Sacramento 90 St. Louis 77 Salt Lake City 96 San Diego 80 San Francisco 78 Seattle 93 Tucson 100 Washington, DC 87 Wichita 76 Lo 55 60 80 49 50 56 74 66 55 47 66 83 60 67 68 41 66 66 53 67 71 65 65 73 66 50 W c t t pc pc t t pc pc pc pc pc pc s s s pc pc pc s pc pc pc t pc pc Wed. Hi 71 76 92 65 66 75 84 70 79 71 70 107 68 75 79 76 88 86 71 96 80 77 85 103 70 78 Lo 51 54 79 52 51 52 68 60 54 48 61 83 57 62 58 46 59 63 51 69 69 65 62 74 60 51 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W pc pc t pc pc pc t r s s r pc r r t s pc s s s pc pc pc pc r s