Operational updates, resources and the team coordinating Burdoin Fire response

The Burdoin Fire has destroyed 14 primary structures and 30 minor structures while damaging at least 87 others, according to an initial assessment on July 19.

State Route 14 and State Route 142 are open to through traffic, but all other previously closed roads are open exclusively to local residents.

“We just ask that you be cautious traveling the road systems within the fire’s perimeter, and mindful that we still have firefighters out on those roads,” said Operations Section Chief Jesse Stone during a video briefing on Sunday morning. “Team 13 is here for you, and we appreciate all of your support.”

The previous Level 3 zone is now under Level 2 “Be Set” evacuation orders, and the Level 2 zone is now Level 1. Residents can access a map of evacuation levels by visiting the Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management’s (KCDEM’s) website.

To request a reentry kit, which are limited in supply and include N95 masks, Tyvek coveralls, air filters and other safety equipment, fill out the recovery survey on KCDEM’s Facebook page or pick one up at the Lyle Trailhead. To receive emergency alerts, sign up here. 

Pockets of the fire, mostly interior, are still burning, so don’t be alarmed if you see smoke in the air. According to Northwest 13’s daily report on Monday, crews continue to work on securing the northern perimeter in the Catherine, Major and Silvas creek drainages, and suppression repair efforts are set to begin soon, such as the removal of cut vegetation, erosion control along firelines and supporting county resources at critical infrastructure sites.

Unmanned aircraft with infrared capabilities are helping to identify still-burning hotspots, but fire can smolder from weeks to months, and Northwest 13 expects challenging weather conditions this week.

“As we head into Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, thunderstorm chances increase slightly each afternoon, with Thursday being the best bet to see some thunderstorms in the area,” said Incident Meteorologist Matthew Dehr during a video briefing on Monday morning. He also noted that temperatures in the mid-to-upper 90s are expected through Wednesday.

Separately, the lightning-caused Snyder Canyon Fire, which sparked last Thursday northwest of Klickitat, is now fully contained after burning 53 acres. A total of 812 personnel were spread across both incidents as of press deadline.

Red Cross Emergency Shelters are located in White Salmon at Grace Baptist Church, 1280 W. Jewett Blvd., and The Dalles Middle School, 1100 E. 12th St.

For more specifics regarding last week’s operations on the Burdoin and Snyder Canyon fires, read the daily updates at www.columbiagorgenews.com.

Community meeting in The Dalles

Prior to the reduction in evacuation levels, local officials held a meeting to update and provide resources for affected residents at The Dalles High School last Friday. Commissioner Ron Ihring, Klickitat County Health Department (KCHD) Director Erinn Quinn, Emergency Management Director Jeff King and KSCO Undersheriff Carmen Knopes spoke, and several residents expressed frustration over being denied access to their properties.

“This is a disaster like I’ve never seen before. I’ve worked big wildfires — I worked the Big Horn Fire last year and I worked the Williams Mine Fire — but nothing to this devastation,” said Knopes. “I grew up in Lyle, if you don’t know, so this does hit home. I planted myself down at the Lyle Trailhead so that I could be there for you, and I am there almost 20-some hours a day.”

According to Knopes, KCSO is stretched thin, and many variables pose a danger to residents: downed power lines, falling trees and debris, compromised septic tanks and household hazardous waste. What KCSO hopes to avoid, as she explained, is letting residents return only to repeat the evacuation process if the fire swells up again or escapes containment.

“I do care about your safety, and if I’ve been harsh to some about getting into your properties, it’s because I don’t want you going up and getting hurt,” said Knopes.

For questions about power restoration, King advised residents to call the Klickitat Public Utility District’s Engineering Department at 800-548-8357. The Klickitat County Emergency Operations Center, staffed by volunteers and available at 509-773-0570, can help residents navigate damage assessments and find the right folks to answer other general questions.

Beyond receiving reentry kits, filling out the recovery survey also allows KCHD to identify people who need assistance with well inspections, bringing septic systems back online and other resources. Quinn acknowledged the trauma caused by wildfire and urged anyone struggling with their mental health to call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline. 

During the question portion, many people asked why KCSO and the county hadn’t let residents who could prove their address back in, and which entity has the jurisdiction to reopen roads. Of chief concern, apart from seeing what remains, were animals that need food and water, and crops that require tending.

David Curran and his wife Katie, for instance, watched the Burdoin Fire take their home from Rowena Crest. Curran described his later interaction with someone from KCSO at the Lyle Trailhead, begging the officer to let him check whether their cats survived.

“It’s a quarter mile up Old Highway 8 across the bridge — there are literally cars, trucks from the fire department parked on my property within view — and he just hands me a card and says, “Get on the list,’” said Curran. The officer was referring the Emergency Operations Center, which was coordinating animal evacuations and didn’t get back to Curran.

Knopes again emphasized the threats to residents, adding that the restrictions help turn away looters and ensure the safety of firefighters. Having never dealt with an event of this magnitude, she also asked residents to give the dispatchers, deputies and other emergency management officials grace, because they’re doing whatever they can with limited manpower.

“I expect you to be angry — I would be too,” said Knopes. “I want you guys back at your properties, but we also have to make sure we have the tools in place so that, when you get to your properties, that you have a way to dispose of things, that you have those tools, that you have potable water, that you have bathrooms to use.”

Ferguson, Upthegrove visit

On July 24, Ferguson and Upthegrove met with personnel from Northwest 13 at the Henkle Middle School command center in White Salmon for a briefing on the Burdoin Fire and held a press conference. Both expressly thanked the, at the time, 846 firefighters on scene and many others assisting with response.

“I think it’s important for us to see these workers, recognize them — both the firefighters from all of the jurisdictions as well as the support staff that make this all possible,” said Upthegrove. “On behalf of the people in the state of Washington, we say thank you for the hard work they’re doing.”

“It’s my first summer as a governor, my first time at a location like this,” said Ferguson. “To see the level of coordination, the level of organization, the level of partnership — I’m not surprised, but I would want Washingtonians to know that it’s deeply reassuring to me as a governor.”

Shortly after igniting, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency recognized the Burdoin Fire as a potential major disaster, opening up federal funds to recoup firefighting costs, including expenses for field camps, equipment use and other supplies. Unfortunately, that money cannot go toward individual homes or business owners, nor infrastructure damage.

In recent years, Upthegrove highlighted that Washington’s Department of Natural Resources has invested about half a million dollars in establishing firelines around White Salmon. Supported by a $500 million state spending bill passed in 2021, funding largely kept up until this year when the legislature, facing a budget shortfall, approved just $60 million for wildfire preparedness over the next biennium, about half of the set target, according to the Washington State Standard.

“If next year’s supplemental budget does not restore some of that funding, we’re going to see more fires like this,” said Upthegrove. “They’re going to be larger, and they’re going to cost the taxpayers a lot more money in the back end.”

A perspective from the command center

For the 800 or so firefighters still sleeping in tents outside Henkle Middle School and working during daylight, they typically wake up at 5:30 a.m., according to Northwest 13 Public Information Officer Patrick Taylor. In the first hour, they grab a hot breakfast, fill coolers with water and prepare their equipment, sharpening their Pulaskis (think axe and hoe merged together) and replacing hoses damaged the day prior.

After receiving a briefing, they drive out to the frontlines and typically don’t return for 12-16 hours. Depending on the conditions and potential for progress, they might even work a full day straight.

“They’re tired, they’re exhausted, they’re dirty, but they’re positive they can get the job done,” said Taylor, adding that the profession tends to attract optimistic personalities with a “we can do it” attitude.

Writ large, the Burdoin Fire presents challenging, rough terrain, but especially in drainages like Catherine and Major creeks. Thick with trees and v-shaped, those areas are too steep for firefighters to easily escape if things turn sideways. While wind dependably blows east in the Gorge, it swirls in these gulches, plus there’s always the threat of rocks or trees rolling down.

“It’s almost an equilibrium we’ve reached where, how bad the terrain is here, but then having the river there — that kind of balances it out,” said Taylor. “Having the scooper planes and helicopters being able to get back on the fire immediately is a huge blessing.”

With structures threatened, that ramps up the physical complexity and emotional toll on firefighters, too. For the past several days, crews have been returning to homes, kicking over logs and running their hands over every piece of flammable material, ensuring it’s cold to the touch.

Now, nobody from Northwest 13 is a firefighter themself. Complex incident management teams come in when the nature of an event far exceeds the capabilities of a local unit and act largely as a support network, coordinating with the appropriate agencies, giving briefings and handling the logistics of running a small town that pops up overnight. Despite the long hours and stress, Taylor explained how responding to wildfire is grounding.

“There’s this deep commitment to serve and help,” he said. “But for me, one of the reasons I really like it is the clarity of focus. When you’re out there, there’s so many different jobs we’re all doing, but our job is to put the fire out.”

Whether it’s due to a persistent labor shortage, fire seasons getting longer or a combination of both, Taylor said he’s responding to more incidents year after year. For him, though, seeing who makes up the firefighting community, from people with normal occupations like a county assessor to state and federal employees, and how communities often come together when disaster hits is remarkable.

“It’s always amazing to see how understanding people are as literally their lives are changing — that they’re able to reach out and say, ‘Yeah, you can use my cattle well to dip in,’ even though their ranchlands are burning in the background,” said Taylor. “We’re doing the best we can as fast as we can. I know it doesn’t always feel like that from the outside.”