UPDATE: August 5, 1:30 p.m.
The Miller Road fire is up to 25% containment, with the fire currently estimated to have covered 11,186 acres, according to an update from the Oregon State Fire Marshal this morning. All roads throughout the area are currently open.
As of 10:30 a.m., all properties currently under evacuation notices have been downgraded one level.
Areas that were previously Level 3 (GO), including from Victor Road and Walters Road, north and south side of OR-216 to Highway 197, are now Level 2 (Get Set), meaning residents are now able to come back to their homes, according to a Facebook post from the Wasco County Sheriff's Office.
Additionally, Tygh Valley, Tygh Valley Road, all of Fred Ashley Road, all of Davidson Grade Road east side of 197, all of Oak Spring Road to OR-126 and the City of Maupin on both sides of the Deschutes River have been dropped to Level 1 (Get Ready).
Anyone in areas previously at a Level 1 can consider themselves no longer under evacuation notice.
UPDATE: August 4, 9 a.m.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office reported that one primary residence has been lost to the fire. This residence is currently the only structure destroyed by the fire. The number of structures damaged is still under assessment, but as of 9 a.m., 881 structures were listed as threatened.
The fire is currently estimated at over 10,500 acres. Late yesterday afternoon, the fire spotted over the line east of Batty Road and west of Old Wapinitia Road in a field of wheat. According to the report, crews and landowners were able to extinguish the field and back burn "to create some black."
Throughout the evening, there were no new starts. Today, firefighters will begin the mop-up process along west Miller Road, checking for hot spots and increasing the control line. Temperatures are expected to be cooler today, likely peaking at 85 degrees.
An evacuation shelter has also been established at the Dufur High School, located at 802 NE 5th Street in Dufur. The Dalles Riders Club is available to shelter horses, and the fairgrounds is available for livestock and horses.
August 3, 5 p.m.
The Miller Road (Dodge) brush fire, which is burning in Wasco County south of The Dalles, has grown to over 10,000 acres since it was first reported on Tuesday, Aug. 2, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved an emergency grant to help with firefighting costs for the Miller Road Fire, which is 0% contained.
FEMA Region 10 Deputy Administrator Vince Maykovich determined that the fire “threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute a major disaster.”
The approval came hours after Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared the fire, currently burning some 13 miles northwest of Maupin in the area of Juniper Flats, an Emergency Conflagration, freeing up state resources to tackle the blaze.
“I have invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act to make more state resources available to the fire crews on the front lines in Wasco County at the Miller Road/Dodge Fire,” Brown said in Tuesday’s announcement. “With many fires actively burning across the state and several weeks of peak fire season ahead of us, I am urging all Oregonians to be prepared and do their part to help prevent wildfires - just one spark can light a fire that will quickly spread. Please continue to follow local and statewide fire prevention regulations and share what you know with others. Every fire we prevent helps us keep our communities and firefighters safe, and our natural resources protected.”
Wasco County Sheriff’s Office issued multiple evacuation orders for the area, including:
Level 3 (GO): From Victor Road and Walters Road North and South side of OR-216 to Highway 197.
Level 2 (Get Set): Tygh Valley, all of Tygh Valley Rd, all of Fred Ashley Rd, all of Davidson Grade Rd, east side of 197, all of Oak Spring Road to OR-216, and for the City of Maupin on both sides of the Deschutes River.
The Office of the Oregon State Fire Marshal reported five structural task forces and Clackamas County Fire District no. 1’s crew 30 were mobilized to the Miller Road fire. The task forces are from Yamhill, Polk, Lane, Columbia, and Clatsop counties.
“In total, we have 103 firefighters, 20 engines, and five water tenders mobilized to the fire. Our Blue Incident Management Team is also on the ground and took command this morning,” The fire marshal’s office said.
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