ROWENA — With crews nearing complete containment and all evacuation orders lifted, the Rowena Fire has stopped its descent towards The Dalles, marking the beginning of a difficult recovery process.
After igniting along Interstate-84 midday on June 11, the blaze, fueled by high winds coming from the west, quickly crested Sevenmile Hill and spread about six miles in less than 12 hours, consuming a total of 3,700 acres. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office (WSCO) reported that 56 homes and 91 outbuildings were lost.
As of press deadline on Monday, the fire was 99% contained, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.
“It’s definitely early for fires like this,” said Andrew Dwyer, a public information officer with Oregon’s Department of Forestry (ODF). “When you have a fast-moving fire, you end up leapfrogging structure to structure and trying to protect what you can.”
After Gov. Tina Kotek’s approval that Wednesday afternoon, the Oregon State Fire Marshall mobilized its Green Incident Management Team and eight structural task forces, meeting personnel from several municipal crews, ODF and the United States Forest Service already on scene. Beyond contending with wind upwards of 25 miles per hour, Dwyer noted the steep slopes of Sevenmile Hill presented a significant challenge early on, both logistically in getting boots on the ground and because fire spreads faster traveling uphill.
By Thursday morning, however, crews used bulldozers to establish a fuel break around a significant amount of the fire’s perimeter, particularly the southeast portion approaching Chenowith, and there’s been little growth since then. Last Thursday, WSCO lifted all evacuation orders and command shifted to a Type 3 team the following day, bringing active personnel down from a peak of more than 700 to 73 people on Sunday. With rain possible in the forecast, crews focused on suppression repair over the weekend, and the Type 3 team is demobilizing this week as local resources will meet remaining containment needs.
“We want to make sure that, if we do get some rain, that we don’t have any washout,” said Dwyer last Friday. “We’re continuing in mop up, and hopefully in the next couple of days, we’ll have 100% containment.”
Residents with homes still standing in Rowena Crest Manor and the Tooley Water District should use bottled water for drinking and cooking until further notice. Since parts of the system lost pressure, harmful contaminants, such as benzene and other volatile organic chemicals, from burned structures may have infiltrated the supply.
A hillside partially scorched by the Rowena Fire.
Gary Elkinton photo
Potable and/or bottled water is available at The Dalles Middle School. The Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Services, North Central Public Health District and Tooley Water District warned against treating the water: boiling, freezing, filtering, adding chlorine or other disinfectants, or letting water stand will not make it safe.
WSCO will make an announcement when the water is drinkable again, but currently, there’s no timeframe for when this will occur. Residents of the district can contact Manager Karen Lameson at 971-221-7871 for more information, and others returning to the burned area should act with caution.
“The area remains hazardous due to unstable structures, sharp metal and potentially toxic ash. Be alert for underground hazards — damaged septic systems may be hidden and unstable, posing a collapse or exposure risk,” said Stephanie Krell, Wasco County public information officer.
The North Central Public Health District is providing free Tyvek coveralls and N95 masks for affected residents during normal business hours. If you cannot find proper protective clothing, Krell said to wear long sleeves, pants and sturdy shoes, and immediately dispose of all clothing worn while reentering your fire-damaged home.
Children should not be involved in cleanup activities, and Krell advised to take photos of your property and all other damages (well, septic, structural remains, vehicles, etc.), which may help with insurance claims and disaster assistance programs.
United Way of the Columbia Gorge has put together a recovery fund for those impacted by the Rowena Fire, and you can donate by visiting uwcg.ejoinme.org/RowenaFireReliefRecovery Fund. The nonprofit is also hosting a fundraising concert on June 27 at Bargeway Pub in The Dalles to help bolster recovery fund and other projects. Visit unitedwaycolumbiagorge.org/events/ for more information.
GoFundMe has created a list of verified people seeking help as well, accessible at gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/oregon#/. As previously reported by Columbia Gorge News, be wary of scams.
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