Fire activity remained high Thursday on the south side of the Larch Creek Fire burning in south of Dufur in Wasco County. The increase in fire activity prompted more evacuations for the communities of Pine Hollow and Wamic. Thursday, the fire crossed Badger Creek Road and spread south toward Highway 216. While resources continued ground attack and water drops along the active edge of the fire, crews worked through the day to secure the north side of the fire. They built dozer line and attacked the fire where possible. More resources have been ordered and will be arriving over the next few days.
As of 6 p.m. Thursday, the Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Management Team 2 was in unified command with the Oregon State Fire Marshal Green Team.
Overnight into Friday, fire crews will continue to build and reinforce the fire line along the perimeter. Structure protection continues around the Pine Hollow and Shadybrook subdivisions. 988 Structures are in Level 3 GO NOW, 48 in Level 2 GET SET, and 35 in Level 1 GET READY.
Lower temperatures and higher relative humidity are in the forecast and will offer favorable conditions for night crews.
To keep up to date on evacuation levels, stay informed here. Additional fire information can be found through the official fire information Facebook page.
Evacuation shelters:
• Two shelters are available: the Red Cross shelter at South Wasco County High School (699 4th St in Maupin) and a second shelter at Wy’East Middle School (3000 Wy’East Rd, Hood River). Those evacuating from Pine Hollow and Wamic should travel to the west and use the shelter at Wy’East Middle School.
• The livestock shelter is located adjacent to the Wy’East Middle School at the Hood River Fairgrounds (3020 Wy’East Rd, Hood River).
The Larch Creek Fire sparked around 2 p.m. on July 9, five miles southwest of Dufur, Oregon The cause was human activity and is under investigation.