NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Wildfire scars beloved Columbia Gorge
BRIEFLY
Equipment stolen from crews
fighting Oregon wildfire
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press
BROOKINGS (AP) — A thief made away
with thousands of dollars of firefighting equipment
taken from trucks parked at a Brookings high
school.
The Eugene Register-Guard reports the equip-
ment was taken off two Lane County Task Force
fire rigs that parked at the school Friday night
after making a more than 230-mile drive to assist
in fighting the Chetco Bar Fire in southwestern
Oregon. Lane County Fire Defense Board Chief
Chad Minter says they discovered the trucks were
ransacked early Saturday morning. The missing
items included an oxygen tank, a firefighter’s bag,
a flat-headed ax and a firefighter’s jacket. A couple
of items, including the oxygen tank, were found
discarded nearby.
The firefighters filed a police report, and Minter
says he is unaware of any arrests for the crime.
TROUTDALE — A fast-
moving wildfire chewing
through Oregon’s forestland is
threatening more than homes
and people. It’s also devouring
the heart of the state’s nature-
loving identity.
As flames erupted this
week in the Columbia Gorge,
horrified Oregonians mourned
the devastation of beloved day
trails, swimming holes and
dozens of crystalline waterfalls
that are all an easy day trip from
Portland.
The Columbia River Gorge
National Scenic Area attracts
more than 3 million tourists a
year and holds North America’s
largest concentration of water-
falls — including 77 named
cascades. It is also home to 800
wildflower species, including
16 found nowhere else in the
world.
The gorge’s winding trails
are lush with ferns, hidden
pocket waterfalls and stunning
vistas of the mighty Columbia
River. They are most cherished
by Oregonians, who feel a deep
connection to an area that’s
often referred to as Oregon’s
“crown jewel.”
As the flames spread through
the gorge’s forests at an alarming
rate, social media lit up with
posts recalling favorite hikes,
memories of gorge weddings
and worries about what will
remain when the smoke clears.
“Everybody has this visceral
attachment to what they care
about there and that all feels
like it’s slipping through our
fingers,” said Kevin Gorman,
executive director of Friends
of the Columbia Gorge. “We
literally are waiting until the
smoke clears to go out and
assess what’s there, what we’ve
lost and then try to move on
from there.”
On Wednesday, two fires
merged to form a blaze of more
than 50 square miles. The fire
has closed a 30-mile stretch of
nearby Interstate 84 and forced
the evacuation of hundreds of
homes on the far eastern fringes
of Portland’s metropolitan area.
Authorities say the fire was
started by a 15-year-old boy
who tossed fireworks into the
woods.
Scorching heat, bone-dry
vegetation and winds of 30 to
40 mph pushed the flames 13
miles in 16 hours at one point
— an almost unprecedented
Nike to lay off 490 Oregon
workers by end of September
PORTLAND (AP) — Nike officials say the
company will lay 490 Oregon workers by the end
of the month.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the layoffs
are part of the 2 percent of the workforce Nike
plans to eliminate worldwide. In July, the Nike
laid off 255 Oregon workers, and plans to cut
another 490 local jobs by Sept. 30 for a total of
745 jobs lost in the state.
News of the layoffs comes months after
Nike announced a broad restructuring of the
footwear manufacturing company. Nike is the
largest company headquartered in Oregon near
Beaverton. It employs 74,000 people worldwide.
Terry Richard/The Oregonian via AP, file
In an April 2015 file photo, hikers move along a ridge at Munra Point, an airy perch at
1,740 feet in elevation overlooking the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and
Bonneville Dam near Cascade Locks. The fast-moving wildfire chewing through Oregon’s
Columbia River Gorge is threatening more than homes and people. It’s also devouring
the heart of the state’s nature-loving identity.
Tristan Fortsch/KATU-TV via AP
This Monday photo provided by KATU-TV shows the Ea-
gle Creek wildfire as seen from Stevenson Wash., across
the Columbia River, burning in the Columbia River Gorge
above Cascade Locks.
rate of fire spread, authorities
said. Embers from the blaze also
were carried by winds across
the Columbia River and started
a spot fire on the opposite bank
in Washington state.
On the Oregon side, the
flames had some of the gorge’s
most treasured spots in its
crosshairs.
After an all-night battle,
fire crews saved the historic
Multnomah Lodge, a historic
92-year-old information center,
bar and restaurant at the base of
Multnomah Falls.
That waterfall, visible and
easily accessible from Interstate
84, alone attracts more than
2 million visitors a year from
around the world. A low bridge
allows easy viewing and a steep
one-mile hike allows visitors
to peer down 620 feet from
just above its drop-off while
taking in a panoramic view of
the Columbia River and Wash-
ington state on the far bank.
Oneonta Falls, famous for
a hike that includes wading
in waist-deep water through a
steep-walled canyon, was also
endangered. Photos posted
on Twitter show a popular
pedestrian tunnel near the gorge
ringed with flames. The extent
of damage there and the fate
of other waterfalls with wistful
names — Bridal Veil, Horsetail
Falls and Ponytail Falls among
them — was still uncertain.
The U-shaped canyon
that holds the Columbia
River is unique in its geology
and contains microclimates
nurtured by up to 70 inches of
rain annually, said Gorman. But
this summer has been unusually
dry and extremely hot, creating
an opportunity for a large fire to
take hold in what is usually a
lush forest, he said.
The gorge has burned before
— and will likely burn again.
In 1902, a massive wildfire
scorched the same area and
also jumped the river to the
Washington side. And in 1991,
flames crept to within a few
yards of the same lodge that
fire crews battled to save this
week. The scars from that blaze
were still visible amid the forest
before this year’s fire started,
said Gorman.
Authorities sought to reas-
sure the public even as they
lamented the devastation.
Lt. Damon Simmons, a
spokesman with the Oregon
Fire Marshal, on Wednesday
drove the historic Columbia
River Highway, a winding,
two-lane road that parallels the
river on the Oregon side and
offers majestic viewpoints from
the gorge’s steep cliffs. He came
back with a hopeful message.
“The gorge still looks like
the gorge,” he said. “It’s not a
wasteland. It’s not a blackened,
destroyed no man’s land.”
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KETCHUM, Idaho (AP) — Idaho officials
plan to replace a 6-ton potato replica used for
advertising with one that glows in the dark.
Idaho Potato Commission officials say it will
be lighter and leaner than the Great Big Idaho
Potato Truck’s current Russet Burbank potato
replica, the Capital Press reported.
The potato truck is used to promote the Idaho
brand and has travelled over 148,000 miles and
toured through 7,200 cities in six years.
By making the new model two feet narrower,
the potato truck will be able to operate without
wide-load restrictions, permitting it to drive at
night so the glow-in-the-dark spud can shine
during nighttime parades, Idaho Potato Commis-
sion President and CEO Frank Muir said.
Officials intend to make the new model look
almost identical to the current one and keep it at
27 feet long.
“The potato will look like it magically is
glowing, and people will absolutely love it,”
Muir said, while announcing the plans during the
Idaho Grower Shippers Association’s 89th Annual
Convention last month.
Corrections
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REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
SATURDAY
FRIDAY
Hazy sunshine and
smoky
Hazy sunshine and
smoky
89° 65°
87° 62°
Hazy sunshine
SUNDAY
MONDAY
Pleasant with
partial sunshine
Mostly sunny
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
83° 58°
81° 54°
84° 59°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
90° 64°
91° 68°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
86°
82°
102° (1955)
57°
53°
34° (1898)
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"
0.09"
11.37"
7.69"
8.47"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
86°
82°
99° (2003)
56°
52°
39° (1961)
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"
0.07"
6.65"
5.40"
6.19"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Last
New
Sep 12
Sep 19
First
Sep 27
84° 50°
86° 52°
Seattle
79/63
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
86° 61°
6:24 a.m.
7:22 p.m.
8:24 p.m.
7:48 a.m.
Full
Oct 5
Today
Spokane
Wenatchee
92/63
91/68
Tacoma
Moses
78/60
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 93/64
91/59
69/60
77/58
93/63
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
78/62
89/67 Lewiston
92/67
Astoria
96/64
69/57
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
81/63
Pendleton 90/58
The Dalles 91/68
89/65
86/67
La Grande
Salem
88/58
82/61
Albany
Corvallis 82/60
81/59
John Day
88/61
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
92/61
79/58
82/55
Caldwell
Burns
92/63
86/49
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
69
91
82
66
86
90
79
88
91
88
76
88
86
76
66
65
92
90
89
81
83
82
92
86
82
89
93
Lo
57
54
55
58
49
58
58
64
68
61
47
58
55
61
56
57
61
64
65
63
49
61
63
56
62
67
63
W
c
pc
pc
t
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
pc
t
c
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Fri.
Hi
68
87
80
70
85
84
77
85
90
85
79
84
82
79
65
67
91
91
87
77
81
79
85
83
77
87
89
Lo
52
50
52
57
48
56
53
60
64
55
46
52
50
58
51
52
60
55
62
56
47
56
59
51
55
65
55
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
c
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
c
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
90
89
82
67
67
62
67
78
80
68
83
Lo
64
81
65
58
57
50
55
65
65
51
71
W
s
sh
s
pc
pc
sh
pc
t
pc
s
sh
Fri.
Hi
89
89
89
63
67
59
66
78
82
67
80
Lo
68
80
69
51
57
48
53
62
66
48
69
W
s
c
s
r
pc
sh
c
pc
pc
pc
sh
WINDS
Medford
76/61
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
76/47
Boardman
Pendleton
REGIONAL FORECAST
Eastern Washington: Smoky today with
hazy sunshine. Hazy tonight. A passing
shower in the north tomorrow.
Cascades: A shower or thunderstorm
around today; not as warm in the south.
Northern California: A couple of showers at
the coast today; a thunderstorm elsewhere.
Friday
WSW 8-16
WSW 7-14
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Coastal Oregon: Fog during the morning;
otherwise, mostly cloudy today. A stray
shower.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Hazy sun and
smoky today. A thunderstorm in spots; not
as hot in central parts.
Western Washington: Clouds and sun
today. Fog at the coast; a thunderstorm in
spots across the south.
Today
WSW 6-12
W 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
-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: Today will be a cool, cloudy and dreary day in the Northeast. Severe
storms could fire in Northern California and Oregon. The interior Northwest will stay hot, as
dry and cool air spills into the South.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 109° in Palm Springs, Calif.
Low 27° in West Yellowstone, Mont.
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
87
76
75
73
87
76
93
76
82
69
68
67
86
86
65
92
62
80
88
85
71
84
76
100
78
85
Lo
62
56
59
53
54
55
66
58
62
51
52
53
64
57
50
68
41
49
75
62
52
70
58
78
56
67
W
s
s
pc
pc
s
s
pc
r
pc
s
pc
sh
s
s
sh
s
pc
s
pc
s
pc
pc
s
s
s
pc
Fri.
Hi
88
79
75
74
89
79
90
74
83
72
67
66
87
88
65
93
63
74
87
86
76
85
81
92
81
82
Lo
63
60
55
52
62
59
63
56
64
50
50
52
65
58
47
67
41
54
75
63
50
71
59
72
59
65
Today
W
pc
s
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
sh
s
pc
c
s
c
s
sh
s
pc
s
s
pc
s
pc
Hi
Louisville
72
Memphis
76
Miami
93
Milwaukee
66
Minneapolis
72
Nashville
74
New Orleans
83
New York City
74
Oklahoma City
83
Omaha
78
Philadelphia
74
Phoenix
106
Portland, ME
74
Providence
76
Raleigh
76
Rapid City
84
Reno
85
Sacramento
79
St. Louis
76
Salt Lake City
94
San Diego
79
San Francisco
75
Seattle
79
Tucson
99
Washington, DC 75
Wichita
86
Lo
54
57
81
51
51
53
67
58
59
56
57
83
53
55
54
49
56
59
56
70
69
62
63
74
58
61
W
s
s
t
pc
pc
s
s
pc
s
s
pc
s
r
r
s
s
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
s
Fri.
Hi
77
80
93
64
69
78
84
73
83
84
74
99
72
75
78
85
84
86
83
91
76
73
74
95
76
86
Lo
54
61
81
52
53
55
68
56
61
62
55
80
51
53
56
56
56
60
58
68
68
61
55
72
58
61
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
pc
s
pc
pc
s
s
s
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
s
t
pc
pc
c
t
pc
s