LYLE — Out of an abundance of caution, officials announced that evacuation orders for the Burdoin Fire, which has now crossed the 11,000-acre threshold and is 5% contained, will likely hold until next week. Also, a vegetation fire near the town of Klickitat and four spot fires several miles east of Goldendale have ignited this afternoon.
The vegetation fire, northwest of Klickitat off Brewer Road, was reported at 2:45 p.m. The Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management (KCDEM) has issued Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders for both Klickitat and Wahkiacus. Sitting at 52 acres, a Watch Duty report states the blaze is not moving quickly, according to a unit on scene. State Route 142 is open in both directions for evacuations.
The spot fires sparked near the intersection of Bickleton Highway and Old Mountain Road at around 4 p.m. and are at least 20 acres in size. KCDEM has ordered residents in the area of Oak Flat Road to Rock Creek Road, and south to at least Hoctor Road, to immediately evacuate east at the time of publishing. A Watch Duty report states that, per radio traffic and units on scene, the fires are moving rapidly east and that air resources have been requested.
Affected residents can monitor KCDEM’s Facebook page and website for up-to-date information as both situations are ongoing. Sign up for emergency alerts by clicking here.
Regarding the Burdoin Fire, several Klickitat County departments released a joint statement Tuesday evening, which reads in part, “Based on current fire behavior, the predicted fire weather forecast and uncontrolled fire lines, the current evacuation levels are anticipated to remain in place for the next five to seven days.”
The Level 3 zone stretches from Dickey Farms just outside of Bingen, past Lyle to Schilling Road and many miles up the Klickitat River Valley north of High Prairie. While firefighters welcomed cooler temperatures and very light rain on Sunday evening and Monday morning, warmer, drier weather set in yesterday, accompanied by stronger winds today and tomorrow, gusting up to 35 miles per hour.
Residents should not return to the Level 3 zone until notified by the county. Additionally, State Route 14 between Bingen and Lyle, State Route 142 from milepost 1 to milepost 5 (lifted for vegetation fire evacuees), Centerville Highway between State Route 14 and Schilling Road, Old Highway 8 and several other roads connecting Snowden to the Columbia are still closed. For more information on evacuation levels and road closures, review Klickitat County’s live, interactive map.
According to Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 13’s daily report, issued this morning, fully extinguishing heat around homes and other structures is the highest priority for crews on the ground. Most properties have a hardened perimeter of 50-100 feet, meaning that potential fuels have been removed, but fire officials are aiming for a secure, 200-foot circumference.
Ground crews have completed direct containment lines in many areas of the fire. Tuesday, crews used tactical ignitions to close unburned pockets of fuel and reinforce containment lines around the Catherine Creek drainage to the west and around the fire east of Klickitat River, according to the report.
Red Cross Emergency Shelters are located at Grace Baptist Church, 1280 W. Jewett Blvd, in White Salmon, WA, and The Dalles Middle School, 1100 E. 12th St., The Dalles.
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